Springtime Bird Flocks

Week of March 22, 2026 – March 28, 2026

by Anna Stunkel, Environmental Educator

Have you ever been outside on a warm (or not so warm) spring day and suddenly noticed a giant flock of birds? This has happened to me a few times this year, and it’s not always in an expected or exciting location. I’ve seen huge flocks of Snow Geese while taking trash out to the dumpster, robins covering a random soccer field, or blackbirds filling the skies while driving on the highway. Birds are heading north to their nesting grounds in full force, and here in Central New York we are lucky to be right along the path where many travel. 

This area has extensive wetlands, which provide great habitat for traveling waterfowl and blackbirds to rest and feed. In particular, Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge and associated wetlands are stopover sites for large numbers of geese, ducks, swans, and blackbirds. The Montezuma Wildlife Drive opens on April 1 (weather depending), allowing visitors to view birdlife right from their cars. Many waterfowl also gather on Cayuga Lake and Onondaga Lake. 

If you stop by the shore of Lake Ontario, particularly Derby Hill Bird Observatory and surrounding areas right at the southeast corner, there is a traffic jam effect. It’s intimidating for many birds to cross the huge expanse of water, so they follow the shoreline to go around. This can result in enormous flocks of birds, such as the flight of about 23,000 blackbirds recorded at Derby Hill this past Monday and 13,000 Snow Geese seen there on March 8! Check out the current hawk counter, David Brown’s reports about all kinds of birds here and on his daily YouTube channel updates.

While these places above are known for spectacular numbers of flocking birds, our feathered friends also need to travel between stopover sites. Birds often follow land and water features like ridgelines, rivers, and roads. If you have birdfeeders, migrating blackbirds will zero in on these as a food source, particularly suet and nut feeders. While some may find this an annoyance since blackbirds empty out feeders quickly, keep in mind that these birds have a long way to go and can use any help you can give them! Finches are also on the move, and this has been a particularly good year for Evening Grosbeaks in our area. These beautiful birds are declining and they love black oil sunflower seed. You can learn more about finch migration irruptions by checking out the annual Winter Finch Forecast. 

Keep an eye on our website for program updates coming soon, including a field trip that I will be leading to Derby Hill on April 17 in which we learn all about bird migration at the site. I am also leading two trips to Derby Hill through Onondaga Audubon on March 28 and April 25. Happy birding!

We invite our members to enjoy a weekly blog written by our naturalists. Every blog will be uniquely different but always inspired by nature. We may share a memory from a recent hike at The Woods or teach you about an animal or plant that lives on the preserve. No matter the topic, we will be sharing with you our passion for nature and celebrating the connections we all have to the natural world. Each blog will be connected to a weekly set of activities and ideas to help you put nature in your hands, even if you’re at home!