As of today, out of season, returns ~March. Earth Exhibit tracks the live conditions and flags it the moment it is on.
Dauphin Island, a thin barrier island off coastal Alabama, sits at the first landfall for songbirds crossing the Gulf of Mexico each spring.
On most days the migrants pass through steadily.
But when a north wind or a cold front collides with a wave of birds mid-crossing, the result is a 'fallout' — exhausted warblers, tanagers, buntings, orioles, grosbeaks, and thrushes drop out of the sky en masse onto the island's oaks and thickets, sometimes dripping from every branch.
It is one of the legendary fallout sites of North American spring migration, ranking with the best on the Gulf Coast.
The spectacle is fundamentally weather-driven: the calendar window is April, but whether a true fallout happens depends on a front arriving at the right moment, so it cannot be promised on any given day.
Where to see it
A taste of where to see it. The full map, exact coordinates and the best timing for each spot live in the app.
| Viewing spots |
|---|
| Dauphin Island Audubon Bird Sanctuary |
| Shell Mound Park |
| + 1 more spot, with exact coordinates and timing, in the app → |
This is the short version
This page shows a taste. The app has the full list of where to see this, the exact timing, and live conditions for 1,000+ natural phenomena worldwide, so you know the moment one is genuinely worth the trip.