In the spring hundreds of bird species move from the tropics into North America. As they make their way they eventually face the great barrier of the Gulf of Mexico. This arm of the atlantic ocean is more than 900 miles wide, and more than 600 miles across from north to south.

While some birds skirt the edge of the water, the overwhelming majority-more than 200 species, and hundreds of millions of individuals-cross the unbroken plain of the gulf in a single flight of 20 or more hours.

Bird migration along the gulf coast is one of the most exciting and powerful natural experiences you can have. Millions of birds from hundreds of species are passing overhead each day, and you never know what’s going to show up.  But despite the hundreds of nature documentaries that are made each year, the story of trans-gulf migration has never really been told before.

Over three years and thousands of hours in the making, Gulf Crossing is an attempt to document this remarkable and moving natural phenomenon. Those who experience it every year and those who don’t know anything about it will enjoy this movie. Hundreds of species, including more than 30 warblers, are shown up close in High Definition. The six episodes provide a comprehensive exploration of the gulf crossing, from spring to fall, covering migration along the Upper Texas Coast, the arrival of birds in the northeast, and fall migration in north Florida.

The recent Deepwater/BP oil spill has brought attention to the threatened ecosystems of the Gulf. This region is absolutely crucial to migrating birds, as a substantial number of all birds breeding in North America spend at least part of the year here. I hope this documentary will increase awareness and appreciation of America's immense but vanishing natural heritage.

Gulf Crossing is going online! To support a free, online version of the movie, go here:

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/793941879/1682540489?token=a52b7c64

Gulf Crossing is a record of trans-gulf migration on America’s southern coast: the expectation of arrival, the surprise each day of what birds appear, and the habitats they are found in. The experience is expanded by a scientific perspective on the phenomenon of migration, describing it's geographic shape, the coastal habitats birds rely on, physiological cycles in birds, and the effect of weather patterns on bird flight.