Scientists Find Evidence Suggesting Migrating Birds Follow Vegetation, With Help From Volunteer Bird Watchers Sara Tabin Contributor Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own. Originally a southern bird, the cardinal began expanding its range into northern states around the 1900’s. Millions of birds migrate through the Chicago area each year along Lake Michigan’s shoreline, but fewer of them would make it through safely under a … ... two Great Lakes creates a unique confluence of migrating birds -- … Approximately a dozen additional species have been documented migrating through or spending the winter months along our Great Lakes shorelines. According to the Michigan Breeding Bird Atlas, three species of gulls and four species of terns can be found breeding in Michigan. The pretty Northern Parula warbler is one of the many species of songbirds that fly through Michigan each spring. For centuries, people who have kept cage birds have noticed that the migratory species go through a period of restlessness each spring and fall, repeatedly fluttering toward one side of their cage. Migration can be triggered by a combination of changes in day length, lower temperatures, changes in food supplies, and genetic predisposition. If you are thinking of birding in Southeast Michigan, you'll find plenty of opportunities as the area's deciduous forests, rivers, and lakes cater to several broad categories of birds. If open water remains through the winter, some waterfowl may stay. Flyways going through Michigan bring through more than 380 species of birds through the state at various times of the the year, Audubon Great Lakes MI Birds Program Associate Erin Rowan said. During the early days of the expansion, the birds would migrate back south during the winter, but in time they became a year round resident in Michigan. Winter migration and the backyard birds that stay behind can raise many questions about how a bird survives such journeys and temperatures. ... Chickadees, nuthatches, cardinals and blue jays are year-round residents. Birds are in peak fall migration right now, and birders in the area are seeing huge numbers of songbirds fly through the Chicago area. When the winter snow starts falling in many parts of the country, some backyard birds have already departed for warmer climates, while other birds are migrating into backyards from further north. Swans are a common site in Michigan but during the fall season when birds are migrating to their natural habitats, one never knows what they might see during a walk in the woods. The tall sandhill crane (Grus canadensis) is a stately, elegant bird that migrates through Michigan every spring and fall, and some birds stay to breed throughout the state. Other birds migrate to Michigan … The environment—climate, geography, availability of food, and pollution—dictates the types of birds that breed in or migrate through Southeast Michigan. While their breeding sites are uncommon, sandhill crane nests might be spotted in marshy areas or wetlands.