Spring migrationseason guide 2027–28
When does spring bird migration peak?
Spring bird migration usually peaks from February to June.
Updated Sep 28.
Pick your travel week
Pick a week: the places where spring migration usually peak then light up. Usual windows from each place's own source, not a forecast.
Week of Apr 1
- Usually peaking this week
- Other weeks
Usually in peak the week of Apr 1
- Port Louisa Refuge
Local timing: Apr 1–May 31
Know before you go
- Port Louisa Refuge
Local timing: Apr 1–May 31
- Is there a fee to visit: No, visiting the refuge is free.
- What are the hours: The refuge is open from half an hour before sunrise to half an hour after sunset. The visitor contact station and office are open Tuesday to Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., except federal holidays, and can close for weather when local schools close.
- Getting around: Sycamore Loop: A 0.3-mile year-round loop from the visitor contact station parking, through upland forest to a deck overlooking the Odessa Division; watch for vireos and warblers
- Open: North Trail (a paddling trail through the refuge) open, as conditions allow (Jan–Sep)
- Top spot: Muscatine Slough Trail: 1.5 miles out and back from the refuge office or the trailhead lot on 120th Street, from prairie and upland forest down into floodplain forest, ending at the Muscatine Slough Observation Deck; it can flood when waters are high
- Ottawa Refuge
Local timing: late April to mid-May
- Is there a fee to visit: No, the refuge is free to visit.
- When are the visitor center and trails open: The visitor center is open Thursday to Sunday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and closed on most federal holidays. The parking lots and hiking trails are open daily from dawn to dusk; seasonal trails are open April 1 to September 15.
- Getting around: Boardwalk Loop: A 0.3-mile easy, ADA-compliant loop behind the visitor center, over wetland and through woods, open year-round from dawn to dusk; it gives excellent views of warblers
- Getting around: Estuary Trail: A half-mile trail west of the Magee Marsh beach on Lake Erie, through beach-ridge habitat that migrating songbirds favor in spring; reach it from the Magee Marsh parking lot, or on foot by the Pool 1 trail from April 15 to September 1
- Montezuma Refuge
Local timing: mid-May
- Closures: Seneca Trail closed for bald eagle protection (Jan–Aug)
- Can I bring my dog: Only on a leash on the Seneca Trail (when it's open) and the refuge entrance road. Dogs aren't allowed on the Esker Brook or South Spring Pool trails.
- Is the Seneca Trail open in spring: No. The Seneca Trail by the visitor center is closed January 1 through August 31 to protect bald eagles, so in spring head to the Esker Brook Trails instead.
- When is the visitor center open: Daily from April 1 to November 30, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., depending on volunteer staffing. When it's closed, information is in the attached sun room and restrooms can be reached from the parking lot near the big heron sculpture.
- Top spot: Esker Brook Trails: Three connecting three-quarter-mile trails (Orchard, Brook and Ridge) through woods, along a brook and around two ponds, reached from Route 89 via the South Spring Pool Trail or from Lay Road onto East Tyre Road; open sunrise to sunset, no dogs
Questions people ask
Where can I see spring migration?
We track 3 places: Montezuma Refuge (its season: May 1–31), Ottawa Refuge (its season: Apr 20–May 15) and Port Louisa Refuge (its season: Apr 1–May 31).
When is peak spring migration in 2027?
It depends on the place and the animal. Of the places we track, the earliest season starts at Port Louisa Refuge (Apr 1–May 31) and the latest runs at Montezuma Refuge (May 1–31). Each place page gives its own season and the animals behind it.
How do you track spring migration?
Each place moves through 4 stages: Birds arriving, Numbers building, Peak numbers and Birds moving on. Every stage we show comes from a dated report with its source, and every forecast lists its sources.
In season now:Fall foliage →Wildflowers →Winter wildlife →