There are many reasons people visit the Bay Area any time of year: unique culture, incredible food, proximity to the Pacific Ocean. But in the fall, when foliage doesn’t peak until later in the season, the real tourists are flying not by plane but with their own wings. Before winter comes, birds are getting a jump on their journey, finding their way to places where daylight and more food are plentiful so they can breed, nest, and feed. 1
Each spring, migratory birds, from large raptors like ospreys to tiny songbirds like the hermit warbler, travel from their warm wintering locations in the south to breed farther north, where the climate is cooler. But in the summer and fall, from June through November, those same birds fly in the other direction, seeking warmer places to spend the colder months of the year. 2
Because the Bay Area’s climate is mild, some birds stay year-round or overwinter here, but in the fall, most travel to Mexico or as far as the tip of South America, a journey of thousands of miles. In fall 2024, more than a million birds migrated through the Bay Area. 3 But that number can vary, and each year, scientists and bird enthusiasts contribute to helping count birds through various programs like Project FeederWatch, eBird, and annual birdwatching events.
But why do so many birds come here, and why is the Bay Area important for these feathered tourists? In this post, we’ll explore the reasons birds love to visit the Bay and how to get kids involved in learning about the science of their journey.
Something for Every Bird in the Bay
The Bay Area’s mild climate is especially hospitable for birds. Water, abundant habitats for birds’ favorite foods, like plants and insects, and rich biodiversity all make for a particularly appealing layover.
Sitting in the center of the Pacific Flyway, the San Francisco Bay is an ideal place for birds to stop on their journey south. 4 The main attraction? Water.
The San Francisco Bay and the Sacramento–San Joaquin Delta make up one of the largest estuaries in the country, where insects, plants, and fish all thrive, serving as migrating birds’ mid-flight snacks.
The continental shelf on the West Coast also creates an environment with cooler, shallower waters that aid birds on the hunt for food. 5
How Do Birds Know When and Where to Travel?
While you may notice plenty more birds during peak migration periods in fall and spring, most feathered migrants fly at night to avoid predators. But how do they determine when to leave and where to fly? The answer lies in basic biology.
Contrary to popular belief, birds don’t directly seek warmer temperatures, but they do need the benefits that a warmer climate can provide. Birds have developed a keen awareness of when their food sources become scarce, often when plants begin to die off for winter and insects and small mammals hibernate. 6
Birds also use their super sense of sight to watch for signs that tell them when it’s time to fly south. During the day, birds use their “sun compass” to help them, or follow familiar landmarks like mountains and rivers on their journey. But scientists proved that at night, when many songbirds migrate, birds notice the stars’ rotation to help them know where to go. And seabirds may use their sense of smell to know where to go. 7
Kid-Friendly Birdwatching Activities
Birds may flit from branch to branch quickly, but because many are so tiny, spotting them and watching them can require patience and perseverance, two skills that can help kids succeed in any field, and especially STEM disciplines.
As we mentioned, there are plenty of ways for kids to get involved in watching feathered visitors this fall without needing to travel as far as the birds do. In fact, you can watch them right in your own backyard or park! All you need are a pair of binoculars or keen eyesight, a way to record what you see, and some time.
Some of the best kid-friendly resources come from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, which has a variety of tools for budding citizen scientists to observe birds. There are downloadable bird bingo cards and bird tally sheets, but you can also make your own. Using a free app like Merlin can make bird identification easier, but simply watching bird behavior and prompting kids to describe or draw what they see can strengthen their observation skills.
Try a “bird walk,” and ask kids to pay attention to the signs of birds—you may hear their calls or see their droppings before you see the birds themselves. Or visit a local bird hotspot like Glen Park Canyon, Golden Gate Park or Hawk Hill in the Marin Headlands this fall, and ask kids to record what they see. How many birds do they notice? What do they look like? Sound like? What are they doing? Visit again in winter to compare their observations.
For more STEM-focused activities to enrich their knowledge of science and nature, sign your child up for one of STEMful’s programs and continue to sprout their curiosity.
Footnotes:
1. “The Basics of Bird Migration: How, Why, When, and Where,” All About Birds, Cornell Lab of Ornithology, May 13, 2026, https://www.allaboutbirds.org/news/the-basics-how-why-and-where-of-bird-migration/.
2. Pat Leonard, “Mesmerizing Migration: Watch 118 Bird Species Migrate Across a Map of the Western Hemisphere,” All About Birds, Cornell Lab, January 20, 2016, https://www.allaboutbirds.org/news/mesmerizing-migration-watch-118-bird-species-migrate-across-a-map-of-the-western-hemisphere/.
3. Christian Leonard and Jenny Kwon, “Here’s Why the Bay Area Is So Important for Birds — and Where to Find Them,” San Francisco Chronicle, December 25, 2024, https://www.sfchronicle.com/projects/2024/sf-bird-migration/.
4. “Nature in November: The Pacific Flyway,” Midpeninsula Regional Open Space, accessed August 4, 2026, https://www.openspace.org/stories/nature-november-pacific-flyway.
5. Leonard and Kwon, “Here’s Why the Bay Area Is So Important for Birds.”
6. “The Basics of Bird Migration: How, Why, When, and Where,” All About Birds.
7. “Navigation: How Birds Find Their Way When They Migrate,” All About Birds, Cornell Lab of Ornithology, May 16, 2026, https://www.allaboutbirds.org/news/the-basics-migration-navigation/.