News

In this short post we highlight tonight's migration forecast in the West. Conditions are favorable for movements from the Desert Southwest north and west along the Pacific Coast into Washington state.   Read more...

Would you like more information on ways to use and to understand new BirdCast migration monitoring tools for spring 2018? Read on!  Read more...

BirdCast tracks migration from many angles, including with interactive maps that can give us a bird’s-eye view of migration in progress. Check out arrivals of waves of Purple Martins.  Read more...

With regular arrivals of spring migrants occurring daily, or nearly so, throughout the US, Team BirdCast returns with species on the move spotlights. This week, we highlight some on-time, early and late arrivals in the BirdCast West region.   Read more...

Light, inbound trans-Gulf migration over Texas and Louisiana was visible in the Live Migration Map.  Read more...

Team BirdCast highlights some relationships between migration and weather that could explain why our migration models predict migration in certain areas and not in others. Let's take a quick look at the migration forecast for the night of 28-29 March 2018.  Read more...

For our inaugural automated migration forecast and live migration map analysis post, let's take a quick look to see how the maps compare!  Read more...

BirdCast has been working toward automatically predicting and analyzing bird migration across the continental US, and we now unveil automated forecast maps and live migration maps. Welcome to the future of migration monitoring, please explore the new visuals and tune in frequently for discussion about movements!  Read more...

Birders in northeastern North America should watch for Northern Lapwing, among other European vagrants, as low pressure over the North Atlantic couples with easterly flow associated with the negative phase of the North Atlantic Oscillation and cold, snowy conditions in western Europe.  Read more...

With an unusual period of cold and snowy weather in western Europe, trans Atlantic movements of species like Northern Lapwing are possible. In keeping with previous discussions we have posted about this topic, BirdCast briefly discusses the potential for European vagrants to arrive in North America.  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...

A strong low pressure center moving up the Atlantic Coast late during the week of 23 October 2017 produced favorable conditions to transport Neotropical migrants on the move, presumably from the southeastern US, far to the north of their intended destinations.  Read more...