There are things we can do to help the migrating birds, like turning off unnecessary lights at night. Domestic cats, as cute as they may be, are birds more voracious land predators - keep cats inside as much as you can during this period. We can make our windows bird-friendly by adding temporary decals during migration periods, and by installing bird-safe glass when making replacements. But do not feed them corn and bread! Birds making the migratory journey are well adapted to finding their own healthy food and do not need supplemental food from humans. Never feed or provide food for wildlife. Corn and bread - commonly given to birds - are low in necessary nutrients and can displace healthy foods that the birds naturally eat, causing them to become malnourished. Backyard feeders with seed mixes are generally harmless as long as they are kept clean and are not combined with outdoor cats. 

What to look for? Many birds migrate through New York City in the spring and fall, including songbirds, waterfowl, shorebirds, and birds of prey. Our neighborhood in particular provides great habitat for migrating songbirds, including a variety of colorful warblers that feast on the insects living in the trees and various thrushes with beautiful songs. Other parts of Queens closer to water bodies serve as important migratory habitat for shorebirds and waterfowl as well.

A really cool thing to do is to follow live bird migration maps -- checkout Birdcast, (https://birdcast.info/migration-tools/live-migration-maps/) which forecasts nightly movements of birds across the contiguous United States, and has real-time live migration maps so you can see where birds are flying.