Blackpoll Warbler. Frank King/Macaulay Library. eBird S39030232.
Continental Summary
Light to locally heavy flights, particularly in the first half of the period, occurred in the West and featured Common Loon, Black-bellied Plover, Say’s Phoebe, Swainson’s Thrush, White-crowned Sparrow, and Lincoln’s Sparrow, while numerous moderate to heavy flights featuring Gray-cheeked Thrush, Swainson’s Thrush, Blackpoll Warbler, Tennessee Warbler, Orange-crowned Warbler, Wilson’s Warbler, and Lincoln’s Sparrow were the norm across the East following the passages of a significant frontal boundary.
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A disturbance passing at the beginning of the period left a complex distribution of light to heavy flights across the region. But a more organized frontal passage on Monday brought favorable migration conditions in its wake, first to the Upper Midwest where moderate to heavy flights followed. As this front pushed to the east on Tuesday, the distribution of these flights shifted into the Ohio River valley and were apparent in many areas to the west of the Appalachians. By Wednesday and Thursday as the front pushed to the coast, widespread moderate and locally heavy flights continued in some areas west of the Appalachians, mostly on Wednesday night; additional local moderate and heavy flights were scattered to the east of the Appalachians in the coastal plain as well, including flights occurring in precipitation associated with the boundary of the front in New England on Wednesday night and then along the immediate coast on Thursday night.
Top Movers
Increasing
Species
Increase from Last Week
% of Checklists Reporting
Swainson's Thrush
179%
6.9
Blackpoll Warbler
151%
5
Magnolia Warbler
61%
13.7
Palm Warbler
247%
2.5
Nashville Warbler
70%
5.8
Bay-breasted Warbler
97%
4.6
Tennessee Warbler
60%
8.4
Northern Parula
65%
4.7
American Redstart
26%
20.6
Gray-cheeked Thrush
465%
1
Black-throated Green Warbler
48%
6.9
Philadelphia Vireo
91%
2.1
Cape May Warbler
62%
3.7
Warbling Vireo
31%
8.9
Canada Goose
16%
29.5
Wilson's Warbler
38%
3.7
White-eyed Vireo
40%
3.4
Black-throated Blue Warbler
51%
2.8
Common Yellowthroat
14%
18.3
Red-bellied Woodpecker
11%
25.5
Golden-winged Warbler
67%
1.6
Blue Jay
7%
49.9
Scarlet Tanager
30%
3.7
Lincoln's Sparrow
136%
0.5
Merlin
36%
2.7
Decreasing
Species
Decrease from Last Week
% of Checklists Reporting
Eastern Kingbird
-54%
3.8
Baltimore Oriole
-50%
4.3
Least Sandpiper
-32%
7.6
Barn Swallow
-26%
17.2
Spotted Sandpiper
-28%
5.4
Semipalmated Sandpiper
-23%
7.9
Solitary Sandpiper
-28%
3.6
Bank Swallow
-47%
1.4
Semipalmated Plover
-19%
8
Common Grackle
-17%
11.6
Mourning Dove
-10%
43
Baird's Sandpiper
-49%
1
Killdeer
-13%
14.8
Lesser Yellowlegs
-16%
8.2
Yellow-billed Cuckoo
-35%
1.9
Pectoral Sandpiper
-22%
4.1
Purple Martin
-32%
2.1
Canada Warbler
-32%
2.3
Field Sparrow
-25%
3.6
Brown-headed Cowbird
-25%
2.9
Chipping Sparrow
-11%
11.4
Red-winged Blackbird
-11%
10.9
Stilt Sandpiper
-27%
2.4
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
-13%
9.2
Green Heron
-12%
8.8
Baltimore Oriole. James Rieman/Macaulay Library. eBird S38987384.
Gulf Coast and Southeast
Scattered moderate flights were the norm for the first half of the period, as birds moved in marginal migration conditions in advance of an approaching frontal boundary. When this boundary advanced into the region on Wednesday, moderate and heavy flights occurred. These were primarily in northern and central Texas on Tuesday night, followed by more extensive flights from Texas through southern Appalachia and the Florida Panhandle on Wednesday night. By Thursday night the intensity and extent of these flights moderated, with primarily moderate to locally heavy flights in coastal areas, the southern Appalachians, in the Carolinas.
Top Movers
Increasing
Species
Increase from Last Week
% of Checklists Reporting
White-eyed Vireo
38%
18.5
Baltimore Oriole
131%
4.1
Blue-winged Teal
57%
7.5
Eastern Phoebe
38%
11.9
Wilson's Warbler
164%
2.9
Blue Jay
21%
47.9
Summer Tanager
38%
9.4
Tennessee Warbler
232%
1.4
Common Yellowthroat
59%
4.5
Magnolia Warbler
140%
1.3
Chimney Swift
22%
14.9
Brown Thrasher
25%
9
Northern Flicker
38%
5.1
Yellow-throated Vireo
41%
4.2
Scissor-tailed Flycatcher
32%
5.7
Yellow-breasted Chat
75%
1.6
Northern Shoveler
59%
1.8
Belted Kingfisher
20%
12.5
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
17%
25.1
American Crow
14%
33.8
Pine Warbler
23%
8.1
Northern Mockingbird
13%
36.2
Decreasing
Species
Decrease from Last Week
% of Checklists Reporting
Magnificent Frigatebird
-79%
0.5
Purple Martin
-47%
2.4
Least Tern
-50%
1.6
Mississippi Kite
-39%
2.4
Laughing Gull
-16%
11.6
Black Tern
-28%
3.1
Wilson's Plover
-39%
0.9
Osprey
-11%
12.5
Black Skimmer
-19%
2.6
Tricolored Heron
-13%
7.5
Neotropic Cormorant
-22%
2.1
Anhinga
-12%
7.8
White Ibis
-11%
11.5
Eastern Kingbird
-13%
6.6
Say's Phoebe
-76%
0.1
Willet
-13%
5.6
Sanderling
-13%
4.8
Cattle Egret
-11%
7
Orange-crowned Warbler. Nick Saunders/Macaulay Library. eBird S39013337.
Great Plains
Moderate to locally heavy flights gradually spread from the north across the Plains for the first half of the period, reaching their greatest extent on Tuesday. By Tuesday night, most of the action was occurring in the southern Plains, where moderate to locally heavy flights occurred while more northern locations saw mostly light movements. As less favorable wind conditions spread through the region, and the effects of the earlier passage of the frontal boundary faded, Wednesday and Thursday nights saw markedly lower migration traffic across the entire region.
Top Movers
Increasing
Species
Increase from Last Week
% of Checklists Reporting
Orange-crowned Warbler
467%
5.6
Lincoln's Sparrow
315%
4.5
Swainson's Thrush
169%
5.5
Nashville Warbler
121%
6.9
Pied-billed Grebe
66%
11.2
Franklin's Gull
74%
10.2
Tufted Titmouse
57%
14
Yellow-rumped Warbler
286%
3
Clay-colored Sparrow
104%
5.2
House Wren
52%
14
Osprey
140%
4.1
Philadelphia Vireo
163%
2.9
Hairy Woodpecker
53%
11.8
Blue-headed Vireo
111%
4.2
Canada Goose
40%
24.6
White-throated Sparrow
258%
2
Yellow Warbler
39%
13.9
Purple Finch
210%
2
White-breasted Nuthatch
32%
19.8
Northern Parula
90%
3.6
Blackpoll Warbler
190%
1.8
Cedar Waxwing
38%
11.9
Pine Siskin
74%
3.6
American Wigeon
199%
1.8
Northern Flicker
30%
17.4
Decreasing
Species
Decrease from Last Week
% of Checklists Reporting
Mississippi Kite
-62%
4.7
Baltimore Oriole
-43%
8.3
Bald Eagle
-50%
3.3
Northern Mockingbird
-44%
6.1
Dickcissel
-49%
2.2
Eastern Kingbird
-32%
11.9
Bank Swallow
-52%
1.8
Eastern Meadowlark
-46%
1.8
Spotted Sandpiper
-34%
3.5
Barn Swallow
-17%
27.3
Cliff Swallow
-34%
3.5
Green Heron
-33%
3.2
Grasshopper Sparrow
-90%
0.1
Yellow-headed Blackbird
-34%
2.7
Black Tern
-47%
1.1
Field Sparrow
-29%
3.1
American Avocet
-30%
3
Brown-headed Cowbird
-25%
3.6
Red-winged Blackbird
-14%
11.5
White-winged Dove
-42%
0.8
Blue Grosbeak
-36%
1.6
Snowy Egret
-21%
5.4
Sedge Wren
-39%
1.3
Lincoln’s Sparrow. Good Smith/Macaulay Library. eBird S39037644.
West
The region experienced light to moderate flights in many areas to kickoff the weekend, particularly in the vicinity of the Rockies where intensities were higher. These flights continued through the beginning of the work week, but a disturbance moving through the region and associated scattered precipitation slowed and stopped migration traffic. This was particularly true in the western half of the region, although the entirety of the West saw significantly lower migration intensities in flights during the second half of the period. Some locally more intense flights persisted to the end of the work week, for example in the Central Valley of California.