News: Forecast and Analysis

The BirdCast forecast model is predicting high intensity migration this evening, and we estimate this migration will comprise more than 400 million birds. The highest intensity movements will occur in Texas and portions of the southern Appalachians and lower Mississippi River valley.  Read more...

More than 200 million migrants will be aloft this evening over the US. These massive movements present some unique opportunities to experience bird migration and act to protect birds by turning off lights at night!  Read more...

Local light to moderate flights were scattered across the West and feature numerous waterfowl in this late season period, while the pulses of moderate flights in the Great Plains and Southeast featured many species of waterfowl, Turkey Vulture, Bonaparte's Gull, Eastern Bluebird, Golden-crowned Kinglet, Cedar Waxwing, and Dark-eyed Junco. Please join us throughout the winter for updates and alerts in advance of the first regular spring season forecasts and analyses in March 2018.  Read more...

Continental Summary Local light to moderate flights were scattered across the West and feature numerous waterfowl in this late season period, while the pulses of moderate flights in the Great Plains and Southeast featured many species of waterfowl, Turkey Vulture, Bonaparte’s Gull, Eastern Bluebird, Golden-crowned Kinglet, Cedar Waxwing, and Dark-eyed Junco. Need a review of […]  Read more...

Primarily unfavorable migration conditions in the West, coupled with the late date in the fall migration season, will allow for only local light movements featuring Northern Pintail, Green-winged Teal, Redhead, Pied-billed Grebe, Eared Grebe, Sandhill Crane, Say's Phoebe, Varied Thrush, and American Pipit, while several pulses of energy moving through the East will bring favorable migration conditions that feature moderate to locally heavy movements of Gadwall, Lesser Scaup, Bufflehead, Tundra Swan, Common Loon, American Bittern, Bonaparte's Gull, American Kestrel, and Hermit Thrush.  Read more...

Continental Summary Primarily unfavorable migration conditions in the West, coupled with the late date in the fall migration season, will allow for only local light movements featuring Northern Pintail, Green-winged Teal, Redhead, Pied-billed Grebe, Eared Grebe, Sandhill Crane, Say’s Phoebe, Varied Thrush, and American Pipit, while several pulses of energy moving through the East will […]  Read more...

Local light and moderate flights were the norm in the West featuring Common and Barrow's Goldeneyes, Trumpeter Swan, Bonaparte's Gull, Snowy Owl, American Kestrel, and Horned Lark, while moderate and heavy flights occurred in numerous areas of the East featuring Canvasback, Common Goldeneye, Hooded, Red-breasted and Common Mergansers, Tundra Swan, Bonaparte's Gull, Snow Bunting, and American Tree Sparrow.  Read more...

Continental Summary Local light and moderate flights were the norm in the West featuring Common and Barrow’s Goldeneyes, Trumpeter Swan, Bonaparte’s Gull, Snowy Owl, American Kestrel, and Horned Lark, while moderate and heavy flights occurred in numerous areas of the East featuring Canvasback, Common Goldeneye, Hooded, Red-breasted and Common Mergansers, Tundra Swan, Bonaparte’s Gull, Snow […]  Read more...

Marginal and favorable migration conditions for light to moderate flights are scattered across the West for the middle of the period and will feature White-winged Scoter, Common Loon, Clark's Grebe, California Gull, Merlin, American Pipit, and Ruby-crowned Kinglet, while a major pulse of moderate to heavy flights in favorable migration conditions for the East will feature Greater White-fronted Goose, American Wigeon, Northern Pintail, Surf Scoter, White-winged Scoter, Vesper Sparrow, Fox Sparrow, Dark-eyed Junco, and Red-winged Blackbird.  Read more...

Continental Summary Marginal and favorable migration conditions for light to moderate flights are scattered across the West for the middle of the period and will feature White-winged Scoter, Common Loon, Clark’s Grebe, California Gull, Merlin, American Pipit, and Ruby-crowned Kinglet, while a major pulse of moderate to heavy flights in favorable migration conditions for the […]  Read more...

Light and locally moderate movements featuring Common Goldeneye, Hooded Merganser, Tundra Swan, Bonaparte's Gull, Say's Phoebe, American Pipit, and Rusty Blackbird, were the norm in some parts of the West, while pulses of locally moderate to heavy flights came to the East and featured Bufflehead, Hooded Merganser, Ross's Goose, Common Loon, Rough-legged Hawk, Herring Gull, Hermit Thrush, Snow Bunting, and Dark-eyed Junco.  Read more...

Favorable migration conditions with light to moderate movements featuring Common Goldeneye, Hooded Merganser, Ross's Goose, Canada Goose, Pacific Loon, Western Grebe, Red-necked Grebe, Dunlin, and Ring-billed Gull come early in the period to some areas of the West, several pulses of favorable migration conditions bring moderate to very heavy movements to the East that will feature American Wigeon, Pied-billed Grebe, Sharp-shinned Hawk, Northern Harrier, Sandhill Crane, Eastern Phoebe, House Wren, and Pine Siskin.  Read more...

Scattered light to moderate movements occurred in the West this week featuring Bufflehead, Canvasback, Lesser Scaup, Red-breasted Merganser, Western Grebe, Horned Grebe, Bonaparte's Gull, Herring Gull, American Pipit, while pulses of moderate to locally very heavy movements featuring Common Goldeneye, Ring-necked Duck, Rough-legged Hawk, Franklin's Gull, Golden-crowned Kinglet, Hermit Thrush, White-throated Sparrow, American Tree Sparrow, and Common Redpoll occurred in the East. A displacement of Neotropical migrants to points far north of their typical ranges occurred and continued to unfold at the end of the period in New England and the Canadian Maritimes.  Read more...

Several pulses of favorable migration conditions bring mid to late period moderate flights featuring Common Loon, Dunlin, Bonaparte's Gull, Belted Kingfisher, Golden-crowned Kinglet, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Marsh Wren, Hermit Thrush, and White-throated Sparrow to many areas of the West, while two frontal passages spawn moderate to very heavy flights featuring Double-crested Cormorant, Northern Harrier, Belted Kingfisher, Vesper Sparrow, Common Grackle, and Red-winged Blackbird in the East.  Read more...

Locally moderate flights occurred in the West during this period and featured Bufflehead, Lesser Scaup, Dunlin, Herring Gull, Mew Gull, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Hermit Thrush, and American Pipit, while a significant pulse of moderate to very heavy flights occurred in the East and featured Brant, Bufflehead, Surf Scoter, American Coot, Bonaparte's Gull, Hermit Thrush, Lapland Longspur, American Tree Sparrow, White-throated Sparrow, and Swamp Sparrow.  Read more...

Early and late period migration conditions will be favorable for light to moderate flights in the West that feature Sharp-shinned Hawk, Belted Kingfisher, Northern Flicker, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Western Meadowlark, Golden-crowned Sparrow, and Fox Sparrow, while the passage of a significant frontal boundary brings moderate to very heavy flights of Cooper's Hawk, Franklin's Gull, Belted Kingfisher, Northern Flicker, Brown Creeper, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Savannah Sparrow, Le Conte's Sparrow, Song Sparrow, and White-throated Sparrow to the East.  Read more...

Pulses of moderate movements that feature Cackling Goose, Western Grebe, Herring Gull, Northern Flicker, American Robin, Yellow-rumped Warbler, and White-crowned Sparrow will be the norm for the first half of the period in the West, while late period moderate to very heavy flights featuring Cooper's Hawk, Peregrine Falcon, Marsh Wren, Sedge Wren, Gray Catbird, Pine Warbler, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Eastern Towhee, and Nelson's Sparrow will occur in the East after the passage of the remnants of Hurricane Nate. Hurricane Nate will bring the potential for Gulf of Mexico pelagic species far inland in the first half of the period.  Read more...

Moderate flights that featured Snow Goose, Greater Scaup, Eared Grebe, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Hermit Thrush, and Golden-crowned Sparrow were the norm in many areas of the West this week, while several pulses of heavy flights occurred in the East and featured Ruddy Duck, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Rusty Blackbird, Fox Sparrow, Swamp Sparrow, Harris's Sparrow, and Purple Finch.  Read more...

Favorable migration conditions from mid weekend through the middle of the work week bring light and moderate flights featuring Greater White-fronted Goose, Cooper's Hawk, Red-shouldered Hawk, Black-bellied Plover, Townsend's Warbler, and Lincoln's Sparrow to the West this period, while moderate to very heavy flights that feature Swainson's Hawk, American Golden-Plover, Northern Flicker, Eastern Phoebe, Blue-headed Vireo, Palm Warbler, and Magnolia Warbler grace the East for the first half of the period in advance of less favorable migration conditions building in many areas later in the period.  Read more...

Favorable migration conditions dominate the period in the West, where light to moderate movements featuring Common Merganser, Cooper's Hawk, Red-shouldered Hawk, Black-bellied Plover, Townsend's Warbler, Brewer's Blackbird, and Savannah Sparrow will be widespread, while favorable migration conditions become widespread in the latter half of the period in the East, with moderate to very heavy movements featuring Osprey, Broad-winged Hawk, Sora, Northern Flicker, Gray-cheeked Thrush, Black-throated Blue Warbler, Ovenbird, American Redstart, and Clay-colored Sparrow.  Read more...