Moderate and heavy flights were the norm this week for many areas of the country, featuring Greater White-fronted Goose, Ring-necked Duck, Say’s Phoebe, Varied Thrush, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Fox Sparrow, and Golden-crowned Sparrow in the West and American Bittern, Northern Flicker, Eastern Phoebe, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Nashville Warbler, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Palm Warbler, Rose-breasted Grosbeak, and White-crowned Sparrow in the East.
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Low pressure and associated precipitation in the vicinity of the Great Lakes brought mostly unfavorable conditions to the region to start the period. But with its passage heavy migration followed, first to the west of the Appalachians on Saturday then east of the Appalachians on Sunday. Moderate to locally heavy flights continued for the remainder of the period, scattered across the region. Particularly active were areas of the eastern Great Lakes and New England, as strong high pressure to the north in Canada brought northeasterly winds.
Top Movers
Increasing
Species
Increase from Last Week
% of Checklists Reporting
Dunlin
165%
0.9
White-crowned Sparrow
155%
0.6
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
140%
6.9
White-throated Sparrow
112%
9
Rusty Blackbird
87%
0.5
Yellow-rumped Warbler
83%
14.8
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
82%
6.3
Ruddy Duck
79%
1.1
Orange-crowned Warbler
76%
1.3
Dark-eyed Junco
71%
3
Blue-headed Vireo
65%
6.1
Winter Wren
63%
1.3
Hermit Thrush
57%
1.7
Palm Warbler
55%
11.5
Lincoln's Sparrow
55%
3.9
Gray-cheeked Thrush
52%
2.9
American Pipit
51%
1.2
Swamp Sparrow
35%
5.6
Savannah Sparrow
33%
5.6
Eastern Phoebe
20%
26
Sharp-shinned Hawk
17%
8
Northern Flicker
11%
39.4
Decreasing
Species
Decrease from Last Week
% of Checklists Reporting
Great Crested Flycatcher
-76%
0.6
Eastern Kingbird
-75%
0.5
Canada Warbler
-69%
0.5
Baltimore Oriole
-67%
0.9
Warbling Vireo
-62%
1.9
Prairie Warbler
-61%
0.8
Veery
-58%
1.2
Blue-winged Warbler
-56%
0.4
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
-54%
2.2
Barn Swallow
-52%
2.6
Yellow Warbler
-50%
1.8
Bobolink
-41%
1.9
Golden-winged Warbler
-41%
0.6
Least Sandpiper
-34%
3.5
Chestnut-sided Warbler
-33%
5.3
Blackburnian Warbler
-32%
2.4
Semipalmated Plover
-31%
3.2
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
-29%
14.8
Least Flycatcher
-29%
1.8
White-eyed Vireo
-28%
3.7
Eastern Wood-Pewee
-23%
13.2
Chimney Swift
-23%
12.9
Green Heron
-22%
4.6
American Redstart
-21%
17.7
House Wren, Ryan Schain.
Gulf Coast and Southeast
A weekend of primarily light to moderate flights kicked off the period for the region, with some locally heavier flights in the southern Appalachians and coastal bend of Georgia and Florida. A similar pattern continued for many areas close to the immediate Gulf of Mexico coast and through portions of the southeastern Appalachians and coastal plain through mid week. However, a disturbance moving ashore quieted flights substantial to end the period, with primarily light to moderate flights occurring west of the Appalachians and Mississippi River.
Top Movers
Increasing
Species
Increase from Last Week
% of Checklists Reporting
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
117%
1.6
Rose-breasted Grosbeak
93%
5.2
Orange-crowned Warbler
93%
0.8
Swainson's Thrush
83%
6.7
Nashville Warbler
83%
5.2
Savannah Sparrow
79%
0.4
Bay-breasted Warbler
57%
1.4
Wood Thrush
53%
3.1
Palm Warbler
47%
4.6
House Wren
46%
2.8
Gray-cheeked Thrush
46%
1
Philadelphia Vireo
45%
1.6
Peregrine Falcon
44%
1.4
Northern Harrier
40%
1.7
Merlin
34%
2.5
Lesser Goldfinch
30%
5.1
Gray Catbird
29%
14.6
Common Yellowthroat
26%
17.1
Scarlet Tanager
25%
6.8
American Kestrel
23%
5.3
Northern Flicker
16%
8.9
Brown Thrasher
11%
17.1
Magnolia Warbler
10%
9.6
Decreasing
Species
Decrease from Last Week
% of Checklists Reporting
Bell's Vireo
-88%
0
Least Tern
-79%
0.1
Louisiana Waterthrush
-70%
0.2
Kentucky Warbler
-64%
0.3
Buff-breasted Sandpiper
-63%
0.4
Upland Sandpiper
-51%
0.1
Common Nighthawk
-50%
1
Olive-sided Flycatcher
-44%
0.6
Prothonotary Warbler
-42%
0.9
Eastern Kingbird
-41%
3.4
Canada Warbler
-41%
0.8
Mississippi Kite
-41%
0.8
Bank Swallow
-40%
0.8
Blue-winged Warbler
-35%
1.4
Great Crested Flycatcher
-32%
4.8
Blackburnian Warbler
-32%
2.7
Semipalmated Sandpiper
-31%
1.4
Purple Martin
-31%
1.6
Northern Parula
-30%
10.8
Least Flycatcher
-27%
2
Baltimore Oriole
-24%
5.9
Black-and-white Warbler
-23%
10.1
Red-eyed Vireo
-22%
14.5
Semipalmated Plover
-19%
3.2
Barn Swallow
-14%
8.8
American Bittern, Ryan Schain.
Great Plains
An active start for the southern Plains featured a pulse of heavy movements on Friday night, but this intensity diminished quickly – Saturday saw almost all of the region’s flights localized and limited to light to moderate intensity. Changes were in the air by Monday night, as a new pulse of heavy flights was apparent in the northern and central Plains. But these, too, were reasonably short-lived: precipitation, some of which was intense, moving across the region kept flights localized, though to a slightly lesser extent than the weekend, and limited to light to moderate intensities for the remainder of the period.
Top Movers
Increasing
Species
Increase from Last Week
% of Checklists Reporting
Purple Finch
768%
1.3
American Bittern
577%
2
Fox Sparrow
484%
1.3
Harris's Sparrow
154%
1
Townsend's Solitaire
133%
1.3
Spotted Towhee
117%
7.1
Orange-crowned Warbler
98%
18.5
Swamp Sparrow
85%
2.4
White-crowned Sparrow
72%
5
Dark-eyed Junco
68%
5
Yellow-rumped Warbler
60%
18.6
Eastern Meadowlark
55%
5.7
Common Grackle
48%
17.9
White-throated Sparrow
43%
7
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
38%
13.8
Lincoln's Sparrow
37%
10.3
Northern Flicker
30%
48.7
Eastern Bluebird
22%
23.1
Nashville Warbler
20%
15.2
Eastern Phoebe
15%
17.2
American Crow
13%
37.3
Decreasing
Species
Decrease from Last Week
% of Checklists Reporting
Magnolia Warbler
-98%
0
Olive-sided Flycatcher
-97%
0
Eastern Kingbird
-96%
0.2
Bell's Vireo
-91%
0.1
Baltimore Oriole
-90%
0.3
Wilson's Phalarope
-75%
0.4
Yellow-throated Vireo
-74%
0.5
Least Flycatcher
-72%
1.6
Black Tern
-70%
0.8
Upland Sandpiper
-69%
0.4
Great Crested Flycatcher
-68%
1.2
Bank Swallow
-66%
0.7
American Redstart
-65%
1.7
Warbling Vireo
-61%
2.9
Semipalmated Sandpiper
-61%
0.7
Spotted Sandpiper
-60%
1.6
Mississippi Kite
-59%
0.9
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
-53%
2.5
Yellow Warbler
-52%
3.2
Wilson's Warbler
-47%
4.2
Eastern Wood-Pewee
-46%
4.3
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
-43%
9.6
Black-and-white Warbler
-40%
2.3
Barn Swallow
-28%
15.8
Red-eyed Vireo
-27%
6.9
Say’s Phoebe, Ryan Schain.
West
Moderate flights kicked off the weekend in the Pacific Northwest, Central Valley, and Desert Southwest. The northern portion of the region continued to experience such flights on Monday night, with this pulses connected with the flights occurring in the northern Plains. After a brief respite in the action on Tuesday, when primarily light movements were scattered across the region, another light to moderate pulse came to the Desert Southwest on Wednesday and Thursday nights. Some of these movements, particularly in the southern Rockies, were locally heavy.
