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Around the world, every year, millions of birds migrate to other areas. North America is no exception, with mass movements of birds north and south. What you may be curious about, though, is which species migrate in January.
Purple Martins may first appear in some states in January. Some duck species migrate in January and can be seen off the coast. This includes the Common Goldeneye and Surf Scoter. Oceanic birds migrating south can sometimes turn up unexpectedly as vagrants on the United States coastline.
To read more about the birds that migrate in January, continue reading below. You will also learn what is meant by vagrant species and why you may encounter these types of birds in January.
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What Birds Migrate in January?
There are a couple of species of birds that are seen migrating in January. You can find ducks like Scoters, Goldeneyes, and Long-tailed Ducks, as well as some of the finches, in winter. Some of the sparrows and aerial birds, like the martins, may appear in the southern states in January.
Purple Martins are one of the species of the birds that will begin to arrive in some of the southern states of the U.S. These birds will first turn up in Florida and Texas in January. They are one of the earliest of spring migrants to arrive in the country.
Read further below to learn more about birds that migrate in January and learn more about what migrants are compared with vagrant birds.
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– National Geographic Field Guide to the Birds of North America
– National Audubon Society Birds of North America
Purple Martin
These birds are related to swallows and swifts. The Purple Martins are very agile fliers that catch insects on the wing; they nest in cavities. Today, there are many artificial nest boxes and colonies that have been constructed and placed around the country. This provides good nest sites for the birds. Purple Martins are sociable and you will usually see them in flocks flying about and hawking insects. These birds are good at controlling the numbers of mosquitoes, midges, and other insects in an area.
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– Cedar Viewing House
– Wood Bird House with Pole
– Hanging Bird House
Purple Martins occur in the eastern states of the United States, where they breed during summer. Close to migration time the birds will gather in very large flocks in the southernmost states, before preparing to fly south. When they migrate, they often cross the Gulf of Mexico and settle into countries of Central America, and also in Mexico.
While they are early arrivals in the southernmost parts of the United States, they don’t reach the northeastern states until about April. You can expect to see the birds in Florida in January, usually by about the middle of the month.
Purple Martins have a fairly large distribution range when you consider all months of the year. The birds are found in South America, where they tend to be more resident. Most of the population that migrates to the United States is thought to mainly originate from Central America or Mexican areas.
Sandpipers
Some sandpipers in the family Charadriiformes also may begin making an appearance as early as January. Sandpipers rely on the muddy margins of ponds and lakes to find food, so this may limit where you will see them on their migration route. Water bodies with high water levels may not provide enough muddy edges for these birds to forage in. This means that, in general, if you are planning a bird watching trip to look for shorebirds, you should consider lake and river levels first.
The sandpipers and other shorebirds won’t occur where lakes and dams are still frozen, but you can look out for them in the more southern, warmer winter states of Florida and south Texas.
Common Goldeneye
The Common Goldeneye are ducks of the boreal region of Canada, where they can be found on lakes. They do overwinter in the United States and can be found in January in almost every state. These ducks inhabit a range of waters including saltwater, brackish waters, and freshwater lakes and dams. They feed on plant matter, fish, and invertebrates.
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Surf Scoter
This duck breeds on the tundra in Canada and Alaska. You can find Surf Scoters overwintering along the northeastern coastline and northern Pacific coast of North America. During migration they can be sighted on the Great Lakes. The birds are diving ducks that dive down to find food. Food choices for scoters include mainly aquatic invertebrates, but aquatic plants may be eaten at times. Look for these birds in January off the coast.
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– Midwest Regional Wild Bird Food
– Southern Regional Wild Bird Food
Gulls and Albatrosses
January is also often a good time to see gulls, like the Great Black-backed Gull, Bonaparte’s Gull or Ring-billed Gull in Florida. Depending on the species, you can search for and find gulls flying over inland waters or along the ocean coastline. Bonaparte’s Gulls occur along rivers and lakes in the boreal region, but during migration they may be spotted along the coastline.
The Lesser Black-backed Gull is another species to keep an eye out for, especially on the coast of the eastern side of North America. These birds commonly occur in winter from the Florida coast and the mid-Atlantic states. These gulls are most commonly found along the seashore but may wonder further inland, although this is not as common.
January is the month to search for Albatross off the coast. This is because these pelagic birds are more likely to be moving southwards at this time of year as temperatures further north drop very low. Albatrosses are still mostly rare sightings, as these birds are oceanic species that are not usually found too close to large land masses. A Yellow-nosed Albatross was sighted near Key Largo, Florida in early January in 1995. The bird was considered a vagrant.
Migrants Versus Vagrant Species of Birds
It is useful to know what some of the birding terms mean. A migrant is a bird that annually moves from one area to another, over long distances that may span countries or continents. A vagrant is a bird species that suddenly is found somewhere distant from where it usually occurs. This means the bird is not anywhere close to where it would normally breed or overwinter.
While looking for migrants you may come across a vagrant. Which vagrant you see may depend on the time of year. It is possible for migrants to go off course, and sometimes, this happens because of a strong storm or winds. For example, a Brown Booby, was once found in Dallas. These birds are oceanic species that do not usually occur on the continental United States. The bird may have been blown off course by strong winds.
My Favourite Equipment for Bird Watching
Bird watching is one of the least expensive hobbies out there, but you still need some equipment to get the most out of it.
The essential equipment to start bird watching is a pair of binoculars. My preference is 8 X 42 binoculars. The number 8 is how much the magnification is, while 42 is the field of view in millimeters of the lenses.
A pair of waterproof and fog-proof 8 x 42 binoculars like the Celestron – Outland X 8×42 Binoculars on Amazon is an excellent choice for both beginners and experts.
In time, you can choose more expensive models and also opt to buy a spotting scope like the Celestron Ultima 80 on Amazon.
These are a lot more expensive compared with binoculars though, so if you are only a beginner, start with binoculars first. A spotting scope is only helpful for birds far away, such as out on a pond or seashore.
There are a few rules or guidelines you should abide by as an ethical birder. These are listed below.
- Do not enter private lands without prior permission from landowners.
- Follow all the rules in refuges and reserves, including cleaning up any garbage from your campsite.
- Do not disturb birds on nests.
- Do not use apps and play songs to call up birds when they are hungry, tired, and breeding during spring and summer.
Conclusion
Purple Martins are the first migrants to arrive in the United States in January each year, and some ducks may appear along the northern coastline. There are some sandpipers and gulls that may arrive in the southern states in January. Depending on the species, gulls may be found both inland and along the coastline. January is also a very good time to look for oceanic species that may have flown off course. Such vagrants sometimes may include booby’s or albatrosses. Such vagrants may even be found quite far from their range as storms may blow the birds inland.