Migration Magic 2025 FAQ

Cattle and Cattle Egret, photographed for the 2024 Photo Contest by Chris S. Wood.

What is Migration Magic?

It’s a month-long festival celebrating the wonder of bird migration in Connecticut with a variety of engaging activities for all ages and experience levels. It’s scheduled for May 1 through 31, 2025.

It includes:

• Bird walks and programs led by experienced birders, designed to bring you closer to Connecticut’s birds. You can find a listing of 50-plus walks and other programs here.

• A Birdathon for people of all ages and all skill levels. Participate in this friendly competition at any time during May 2025. The goal is to spot as many bird species as you can. The Birdathon is a fundraiser for bird conservation in the state. Great fun and great prizes for a great cause! You can find the Birdathon rules here.

• A Photo Contest for adults and young birders. Capture the beauty of birds in their natural habitat, with categories for adults and children. The photo contest rules are here.

Why are you holding the Migration Magic bird celebration?
Because birds are wonderful, and we want to help as many people as possible experience and enjoy them during the busiest month of spring migration.

And because as wonderful as they are, Connecticut’s birds need help. The populations of many kinds of birds are declining, and the species that are doing well need continual protection. Migration Magic is a fundraiser — a fun way for you to support bird conservation in Connecticut.

This year’s Birdathon fundraising goal is $35,000 for conservation in Connecticut.

Summer Tanager, photographed for the 2024 Photo Contest by Michelle Babyak.

Tell me more about the month-long Birdathon.
A Birdathon is a friendly competition to see or hear as many species of birds as possible in a certain area and at a certain time. In 2025, the Migration Magic Birdathon will last for the entire month of May. The Birdathon rules are here.

You can participate for as many days as you want — there’s no minimum or maximum, as long as you’re birding in May. Of course, your chances of seeing and hearing more species will rise the more times you head into the field over the course of the month, and the more kinds of habitats you visit. You must go birding in Connecticut, or in the small portion of Deer Pond Farm that is in New York.

I don’t have much experience as a birder. Can I still participate?
Yes! Migration Magic and the Birdathon are designed for all skill levels. Many of the bird walks are specifically for beginners. But beginners or intermediate birders (or hotshot birders, for that matter) are encouraged to take part in any of the walks. The walk leaders are experienced help you see and hear as many birds as possible, and to do so in a way that is welcoming and definitely not condescending.

The same is true for the Birdathon itself. All ages and skill levels are invited to participate. The entry fee is a very affordable $10. And the bird walks are an ideal way to add to your Birdathon list. (Please note that registrations for the Birdathon and for the bird walks are separate, and that you do not have to register for the Birdathon to go on the walks, although we hope you do both.)

The schedule of bird walks and other programs is here.

 Sign up HERE for the Birdathon!

Double-crested Cormorant photographed for the 2024 Photo Contest by Rachel Rothman-Cohen.

Do I have to register for the Birdathon to participate in the bird walks and other programs throughout the state?
No! The bird walks and other programs are open to everyone. Many are free and many require a small donation. But space is limited and almost all require registration. Visit the Migration Magic Bird Walks & Programs page for details.

Are there prizes for the Birdathon?
Yes! We will be announcing the prizes shortly.

Grand Prize: If you identify 50 or more species in May and submit an eBird trip report, and also raise or contribute $50 or more, you’ll be entered in a random drawing for this year’s grand prize (prize details to be announced soon). Your $10 Birdathon entry fee will be counted toward the $50.

How do I submit my bird list?
We’re using eBird again this year. For those new to eBird, it’s a simple method of keeping track of which birds you see and hear.

By clicking this link, you can either create an eBird account or log in if you already have an account.

Then simply accept the invitation for the “Migration Magic 2025” trip.

Once you accept the trip invitation, all reports you submit for May 1 through May 31 will automatically be added to the Migration Magic tally. You can submit checklists as you go birding throughout the month (highly recommended) or wait til the end of the month.

You can use a computer or download the eBird app for your phone to submit checklists. But to get started, you must click the link above on a computer.

Your list must be submitted by June 6, 2025. Birds not on this official checklist must be confirmed by a judge by photo or recording.

Photo Contest

How do I submit photos for the Photo Contest?

To participate in the Photo Contest, you must register for the Birdathon. The fee is $10.

Make a pledge for the 2025 Birdathon!

You can submit photos to migrationmagic@ctaudubon.org with your name in the email (but not on the photo). We will send them, anonymously, to this year’s Photo Contest judge.

Photo contest rules are here.

Which projects will my pledge support?
When you participate and make a Birdathon pledge, your contribution will help support:

• Conservation work at our sanctuaries, including those at our centers in Fairfield, Pomfret, Hampton, and Sherman, at Milford Point, and at the Roger Tory Peterson Estuary Center in Old Lyme.
• Conservation education, including our award-winning Science in Nature outdoor education program.
• Citizen science projects including Osprey Nation, which since 2014 has tracked the nesting success of the state’s Ospreys.
• The Audubon Alliance for Coastal Waterbirds, a partnership to protect vulnerable Piping Plovers, American Oystercatchers, and other species.
• Shrubland habitat restoration that provides nesting areas for species whose populations have fallen dramatically because of habitat loss, including Blue-winged Warblers, Indigo Buntings, Eastern Towhees, and others at sanctuaries including:
  • Smith Richardson Preserve in Westport
  • Bafflin Preserve in Pomfret
  • Chaney Preserve in Montville
• Monitoring at the Coastal Center at Milford Point, to ensure the protection of birds at this busy coastal area.
• Connecticut Audubon’s involvement in the Connecticut Bird Atlas, the biggest and most important bird research project ever in Connecticut.

Thank you for your generosity! 

Thank you to the sponsors of Migration Magic 2025!