News: Migration

Continental Summary Favorable conditions bring light to moderate movements for the West’s weekend and moderate to heavy movements for the East’s work week, with unsettled conditions bringing a halt to these movements in most areas to close the forecast period. Species on the move this week will include Greater White-fronted Goose, Northern Harrier, Northern Flicker, Eastern […]  Read more...

Continental Summary Light to moderate movements were the norm across the West, despite precipitation shutting down migrants in some areas, while moderate to locally heavy movements pulsed through the East. Species on the move this week included Greater White-fronted Goose, Dunlin, Northern Flicker, Gray-cheeked Thrush, Swainson’s Thrush, Hermit Thrush, Varied Thrush, Golden-crowned Kinglet, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Winter Wren, […]  Read more...

Continental Summary Pulses of more provincial movements that begin the weekend contrast the widespread movements that will end the period in the West, while the opposite pattern of movements occurs in the East. Species on the move this week will include American Wigeon, Eared Grebe, Osprey, Sharp-shinned and Broad-winged Hawks, Say’s Phoebe, Swainson’s and Gray-cheeked Thrushes, […]  Read more...

Continental Summary Light to moderate movements were widespread across the West this week, while . Species on the move this week included American Wigeon, Broad-winged Hawk, Black-billed Cuckoo, Pacific-slope Flycatcher, Eastern Wood-Pewee, Red-eyed Vireo, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, American Redstart, Blackpoll, Tennessee, Chestnut-sided and Orange-crowned Warblers, White-crowned and Lincoln’s Sparrows, and Baltimore Oriole. West Light to moderate […]  Read more...

Continental Summary Mid to late week favorable conditions will bring light to moderate movements to many portions of the West, while frontal passages bring an early and late week pulse of moderate to heavy movements through the East. Species on the move this week will include Osprey, Sharp-shinned Hawk, Franklin’s and Ring-billed Gulls, Philadelphia and […]  Read more...

Continental Summary Several nights of moderate movements highlighted migration in the West as did a pulse of moderate to locally heavy movements in the East this week. Species on the move this week included Green-winged and Blue-winged Teal, American Golden-Plover, Buff-breasted Sandpiper, Franklin’s Gull, Common Nighthawk, Orange-crowned, Nashville, Wilson’s, Townsend’s, Black-throated Green, and Blackburnian Warblers, […]  Read more...

Continental Summary An early period patchwork of favorable and unfavorable conditions sees light to moderate movements scattered across the continent, primarily in the West, until a more organized and substantial end of the week frontal passage sees moderate to heavy movements in the northerly flow that follows. Species on the move this week will include Green-winged […]  Read more...

Continental Summary Scattered movements in the West were mostly light to moderate in intensity, in contrast to more widespread moderate and isolated heavy movements in the East. Species on the move this week included Baird’s Sandpiper, Common Nighthawk, Pacific-slope Flycatcher, Great Crested Flycatcher, Swainson’s Thrush, Warbling Vireo, Nashville, Wilson’s, Black-throated Blue, Yellow-throated, and Black-and-white Warblers, and […]  Read more...

Continental Summary Light to moderate movements, primarily in the Pacific Northwest, highlight the period in the West, while the first organized frontal boundary does not bring compelling and more regional scale movements in the East until the end of the week. Species on the move this week Northern Pintail, Green-winged Teal, Blue-winged Teal, Osprey, American […]  Read more...

Continental Summary Scattered light to moderate movements across the West and pulses of moderate movements in the northern Plains and Northeast highlight migration across the continent this past week. Species on the move this week included Green-winged Teal, Blue-winged Teal, Northern Pintail. Northern Shoveler, Greater Yellowlegs, Baird’s Sandpiper, Franklin’s Gull, Eastern Wood-Pewee, Least Flycatcher, Olive-sided […]  Read more...

Continental Summary A patchwork of marginal and locally favorable conditions bring scattered light to moderate movements across the continent this week. Species on the move this week will include Green-winged Teal, Black-bellied Plover, Solitary Sandpiper, Upland Sandpiper, Least Sandpiper, Olive-sided Flycatcher, Yellow-bellied Flycatcher, Wilson’s Warbler, Canada Warbler, American Redstart, Black-and-white Warbler, Yellow Warbler, and Bobolink. […]  Read more...

Continental Summary Locally light to moderate movements in the West over the weekend and a pulse of more widespread light to moderate movements from the Great Plains through the Southeast to begin the work week were the primary migration highlights on radar for the week. Species on the move this week included Northern Shoveler, Green-winged Teal, Blue-winged […]  Read more...

Continental Summary Late week changes in the West bring favorable conditions and extensive light to moderate movements for the Pacific Northwest through the Rockies, while a frontal boundary brings widespread moderate movements through the Great Plains into the east by mid to late week. Species on the move this week will include Blue-winged Teal, Black-bellied […]  Read more...

Although many species in the US and Canada have been on the move for the past month or more, BirdCast begins its seasonal regional migration forecast and analysis series. Please check visit us frequently to see updated weekly posts about species on the move in your area! The animation below shows the past week in […]  Read more...

Continental Summary Species on the move this week included White-rumped Sandpiper, Common Nighthawk, Gray-cheeked Thrush, and Blackpoll and Wilson’s Warblers. West Species on the move this week included Spotted, Semipalmated, and Stilt Sandpipers (AK), Pomarine Jaeger (AK), Common Nighthawk, Alder and Olive-sided Flycatchers (AK), Swainson’s Thrush (AK), Blackpoll (AK), Orange-crowned (AK), Wilson’s Warbler, Western Tanager. […]  Read more...

Continental Summary The last movements of the spring, mostly light to moderate, occur across the continent as the season slips into more summer-like patterns. Species on the move this week will include Semipalmated Plover, Dunlin, Semipalmated and Least Sandpipers, and some of the last of the later songbird migrants like Alder and Yellow-bellied Flycatchers, Red-eyed […]  Read more...

Continental Summary Persistent light to moderate movements in the West and widespread moderate movements in the center of the continent highlighted the late season movements during this forecast period. Species on the move this week included White-rumped Sandpiper, Dunlin, Sanderling, Ruddy Turnstone, Wilson’s Phalarope, Black Tern, Common Nighthawk, Alder Flycatcher, Willow Flycatcher, Yellow-bellied Flycatcher, Gray-cheeked […]  Read more...

Continental Summary Complex patterns of moderate to heavy movements will reflect similarly complex patterns of unfavorable and favorable conditions in all the BirdCast regions for this period as the last of the spring season’s movements take place. Species on the move this week will include Spotted, Least, and White-rumped Sandpipers, Ruddy Turnstone, Dunlin, and Red […]  Read more...

Continental Summary Species on the move included Least Sandpiper, White-rumped Sandpiper, Long-billed Dowitcher, Alder Flycatcher, Willow Flycatcher, Swainson’s Thrush, Tennessee Warbler, Connecticut Warbler, Northern Waterthrush, Wilson’s Warbler, White-throated Sparrow, White-crowned Sparrow, Blue Grosbeak, and Bobolink. West Species on the move included Bufflehead, Willet, Least Sandpiper, Long-billed Dowitcher, Wilson’s Phalarope, Common Nighthawk, Western Wood-Pewee, Willow Flycatcher, Eastern Kingbird, […]  Read more...

Continental Summary Changeable conditions in the West and the East bring pulses and pockets of moderate to very heavy movements this week among numerous disturbances moving east across the country. Species on the move this week will include numerous shorebirds, Yellow-billed and Black-billed Cuckoos, Alder, Willow, and Yellow-bellied Flycatchers, numerous warblers such as Northern Waterthrush, […]  Read more...