Many birds migrate at night to and from their wintering & breeding grounds, and during these nocturnal flights many utter short vocalizations to keep in contact. This study involves a transect of listening stations across Lake Ontario's southern coastal plain that monitors the night sky for such migratory bird calls. In spring 2026, six automatic bird call monitoring stations will be located at schools (see station map below) with options for student participation. Additional stations will be located along the shore surveying for huge coastal flights that sometimes occur when weather conditions do not facilitate northward migration across the Lake. 

Warbler & sparrow night flight call detections will be posted in near real-time to an online archive. A text alert is available for when large flights are underway. Summaries of warbler and sparrow night flight call activity will be posted each morning from April 15 - May 30.