News: Migration

The BirdCast team has unveiled a new feature on our maps! Forecast and live migration maps now indicate the total number of birds in flight above the contiguous United States.  Read more...

On Saturday 10 April, a frontal boundary is forecast to move into the Gulf of Mexico region. Beginning midday Saturday, birds may begin concentrating in coastal habitats, particularly in the Upper Texas and southwestern Louisiana coasts; but events may be quite complex, because forecasts suggest that the front will stall.  Read more...

Easterly winds are blowing in the North Atlantic, and they may bring some surprise visitors to northeastern North America.  Read more...

Winter Storm Xylia is forecast to bring a blast of late winter to the Central Rockies and northern Great Plains this weekend and early next week. Birds will certainly respond to this storm, especially those of more open terrestrial habitats, by seeking more favorable locations free of snow if possible.  Read more...

Above average temperatures are coming to the eastern half of the US next week, and with these warming temperatures will come early season movements of birds. But for the western US, no such luck arrives. Keep a close eye on forecasts, ours included, to see what happens!  Read more...

As the calendar page turns to March, the BirdCast team opens the spring 2021 migration forecasting season with the return of forecast and live migration maps! Birds are already on the move and have been for many weeks, but number have been increasing, particularly in the southeastern US last night. Read on to check on what species might be on the move in your part of the country.  Read more...

Welcome to 2021! Team BirdCast has a number of projects underway for this year. And although we are still a good 4-6 weeks from the first significant movements of mid to late winter migrants moving in the US, keen observers should be aware of several patterns to watch now.  Read more...

During Fall 2020 a “superflight of finches” occurred in the eastern US, featuring the biggest Evening Grosbeak migration in more than 20 years, redpolls undergoing their largest movement in perhaps a decade, and Pine Siskins irrupting in their best numbers since 2008. These ‘Finch Superflights’, which are defined as southern flights of all eight eastern irruptive finches, are rare, and this year, conditions have aligned and all species have moved in numbers, including the rarest of irruptives, the Pine Grosbeak.  Read more...

Easterly flow in the North Atlantic has the potential to bring European species into northeastern North America in the coming days. Marginal to favorable conditions for such displacement are predicted for the coming days, so birders should watch their favorite patches closely.  Read more...

BirdCast is thrilled to announce a public service announcement from former First Lady Laura Bush and a proclamation from Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson about the Lights Out Texas initiative to protect nocturnally migrating birds from the hazards of light pollution!  Read more...

More than half a billion birds will take flight tonight across the contiguous US tonight! The BirdCast model is predicting intense migration in many areas of the central and southeastern US in the wake of a passing cold front.  Read more...

The BirdCast model is predicting high intensity migration this evening, with more than half a billion birds on the move! And there will be additional, similarly large flights, in the coming nights! This will likely represent one of the largest series of migration nights of the year in the contiguous US.  Read more...

At this point you have heard the stories for the west about bird mortality, but perhaps you have not heard the stories about species on the move out of the mountains. BirdCast will feature evolving stories about eruptions from higher elevations, and this week we highlight Mountain Chickadee.  Read more...

Enormous, and growing, numbers of dead birds discovered in the southern Rockies over the past few weeks have alarmed scientists, conservationists, and advocates alike. The massive mortality events may be a result of intense fires in the western US and the smoke that they have produced.  Read more...

Yes, you read the title right— WHITE-breasted Nuthatches! Long overlooked as a humble resident of forests and feeders across North America, the *other* migrating nuthatch is finally getting deserved recognition for its irruptive travels.  Read more...

The BirdCast model is predicting high intensity migration for the night of 14 September 2020. We estimate that 405 million birds will take flight tonight across the lower 48, including 50 million birds in the northeast alone. This will likely represent one of the largest migration nights of the year in this region.  Read more...

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...

You've recently watched a small flock of songbirds fly over while watching an autumn morning's migration unfold, perhaps hearing a sharp "tick, tick... tick, tick" even before seeing the birds. Congratulations, you've seen a Purple Finch, this week's species on the move.   Read more...

Laura is or will soon intensify to a Major Hurricane with unsurvivable storm surge and extremely dangerous conditions. Current forecasts predict landfall near the Texas-Louisiana border. Avian impacts from Laura's landfall north to Arkansas and east through western Tennessee are likely on Thursday and Friday.  Read more...