A week of light to moderate movements in the southern half of the West featured Red-necked Grebe, Mew Gull, Hermit Thrush, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Townsend’s Warbler, and White-crowned Sparrow, while moderate to heavy flights in the East, particularly in the Upper Midwest, Appalachians, and central Plains, featured Cooper’s Hawk, American Coot, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Black-throated Blue Warbler, Eastern Towhee, Fox Sparrow, Swamp Sparrow, and White-crowned Sparrow.
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Scattered moderate and local heavy flights occurred last weekend as low pressure finally departed from the region. With the departure of unsettled weather, the beginning of the work week featured more widespread light to moderate flights, with some locally heavier Virginia flights. Toward the middle of the week, more widespread moderate flights expanded to cover many areas, with some continued heavy flights in the Great Lakes region. In addition, many coastal areas experienced a prolonged period of northeasterly flow, bringing moderate flights to these areas for several days. However, much less favorable conditions ended the week, and Thursday night saw much reduced migration for most of the region away from the coastal fringe and Upper Mississippi River valley.
Top Movers
Increasing
Species
Increase from Last Week
% of Checklists Reporting
Swamp Sparrow
91%
19.1
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
64%
26.1
Northern Mockingbird
117%
17
Yellow-rumped Warbler
58%
41.1
White-throated Sparrow
52%
31.5
Song Sparrow
53%
43.4
White-crowned Sparrow
65%
13.5
Eastern Towhee
81%
16.5
Golden-crowned Kinglet
49%
16.5
Hermit Thrush
94%
8.1
White-rumped Sandpiper
224%
2.6
Red-winged Blackbird
52%
23.4
Chipping Sparrow
57%
16.7
Savannah Sparrow
59%
11.2
Eastern Bluebird
59%
16.7
Blue-headed Vireo
78%
8.3
Dark-eyed Junco
44%
13.4
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
53%
12.4
Field Sparrow
54%
7.3
Fox Sparrow
154%
1.7
Brown-headed Cowbird
70%
4.9
Decreasing
Species
Decrease from Last Week
% of Checklists Reporting
Bay-breasted Warbler
-65%
0.5
Short-billed Dowitcher
-66%
0.2
American Redstart
-38%
4.2
Magnolia Warbler
-33%
3.9
Stilt Sandpiper
-55%
0.3
Chestnut-sided Warbler
-58%
0.5
Rose-breasted Grosbeak
-34%
2.3
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
-44%
2.4
Black-and-white Warbler
-33%
2.6
Northern Waterthrush
-50%
0.6
Snowy Egret
-24%
2.5
Osprey
-24%
5.9
Least Flycatcher
-82%
0.1
Hooded Warbler
-71%
0.1
Wood Thrush
-38%
0.8
Marbled Godwit
-73%
0.1
Mourning Warbler
-94%
0
Eastern Wood-Pewee
-23%
3.5
Yellow-throated Warbler
-76%
0.1
Wilson's Warbler
-46%
0.3
Northern Rough-winged Swallow
-45%
1.5
Eastern Towhee, Ian Davies
Gulf Coast and Southeast
Moderate and locally heavy flights occurred primarily west of the Alabama River drainage and scattered across Florida last weekend. Precipitation shut down flights in other areas, particularly in the southern Appalachians and southeastern coastal Plain. By Monday, heavier flights came to the Appalachians, and movements in the region generally became more eastern in their distribution. This pattern continued through the remainder of the period, as birds moved through the Appalachians, into the southeast, and out of Florida. By the end of the week, primarily light to locally moderate movements spanned the region.
Top Movers
Increasing
Species
Increase from Last Week
% of Checklists Reporting
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
465%
6.4
Palm Warbler
112%
15.4
Northern Flicker
100%
21.5
Black-throated Blue Warbler
308%
5.3
Gray Catbird
41%
28.3
Yellow-rumped Warbler
215%
2.8
Savannah Sparrow
203%
2.4
Eastern Phoebe
39%
22.1
Eastern Bluebird
35%
22.1
Cape May Warbler
522%
3.2
White-throated Sparrow
1914%
0.8
Song Sparrow
73%
5.5
Swamp Sparrow
381%
1.1
Golden-crowned Kinglet
771%
0.9
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
47%
7.9
Gray-cheeked Thrush
141%
2.9
Swainson's Thrush
76%
8.4
Marsh Wren
78%
2.8
Pine Warbler
41%
12
Magnolia Warbler
61%
11.1
Blue-headed Vireo
166%
2.6
American Redstart
60%
19.3
Bobolink
99%
1.7
Decreasing
Species
Decrease from Last Week
% of Checklists Reporting
Wilson's Warbler
-47%
1.6
Yellow-bellied Flycatcher
-85%
0.1
Yellow Warbler
-42%
2.7
White-winged Dove
-31%
7.8
Warbling Vireo
-83%
0.1
Eastern Kingbird
-60%
0.6
Cattle Egret
-36%
6.4
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
-22%
13.7
Piping Plover
-47%
0.8
Blue-winged Teal
-33%
5.3
Prothonotary Warbler
-94%
0
Lark Sparrow
-39%
0.9
Black-bellied Plover
-28%
3
Red Knot
-54%
0.3
Black-chinned Hummingbird
-57%
0.3
Dickcissel
-45%
0.7
Marbled Godwit
-36%
1
Cooper’s Hawk, Ian Davies
Great Plains
The Plains experienced local light to moderate migration for the first half of the period, including more extensive flights in the central Plains on Sunday night and the northern Plains on Monday night. The big change came on Tuesday night, when more extensive flights occurred across the region including heavy migration in the central Plains. Another large flight occurred to end the period on Thursday night, when heavy flights were aloft over the central and southern Plains. Note that some of these heavy flights were shut down by precipitation associated with a passing frontal boundary in Kansas.
Top Movers
Increasing
Species
Increase from Last Week
% of Checklists Reporting
Greater White-fronted Goose
-1314%
2
Herring Gull
891%
2.2
Fox Sparrow
86%
4.6
Swamp Sparrow
74%
5.5
Cooper's Hawk
75%
11.5
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
32%
7.2
Brown Creeper
56%
4.6
Baird's Sandpiper
169%
2.8
Dark-eyed Junco
30%
15.3
American Coot
35%
16.9
Yellow-headed Blackbird
206%
1.9
White-throated Sparrow
20%
16.7
Marbled Godwit
4644%
0.9
Winter Wren
64%
2
Sanderling
137%
1.5
Purple Finch
52%
2.4
Sedge Wren
31%
5.7
Harris's Sparrow
34%
5.1
Black-bellied Plover
92%
1.4
California Gull
263%
0.7
Decreasing
Species
Decrease from Last Week
% of Checklists Reporting
Broad-winged Hawk
-99%
0
Summer Tanager
-76%
1.1
Eastern Wood-Pewee
-93%
0.2
Peregrine Falcon
-62%
1.4
Belted Kingfisher
-29%
9.9
Indigo Bunting
-35%
4.4
Bonaparte's Gull
-89%
0.1
Barn Swallow
-32%
8.2
Osprey
-27%
7
Caspian Tern
-86%
0.1
Wilson's Warbler
-55%
0.7
Scissor-tailed Flycatcher
-26%
6.3
Rose-breasted Grosbeak
-49%
0.4
Black-and-white Warbler
-96%
0
Swainson's Thrush
-66%
0.5
Warbling Vireo
-67%
0.4
House Wren
-19%
10.5
Northern Parula
-52%
0.7
Solitary Sandpiper
-93%
0
Green Heron
-60%
0.7
Common Yellowthroat
-26%
6.4
Northern Flicker
-13%
40.8
Yellow-billed Cuckoo
-38%
1.5
Red-necked Grebes, Chris Wood
West
The Central Valley of California and the Great Basin saw the primary action for the region this past week, as light to moderate flights their highlighted otherwise localized flights. Localized light to moderate flights continued through the middle of the week in many areas. But Wednesday night saw more extensive movements in the Desert Southwest, where similarly intense but slightly more extensive flights continued to end the period. Note that portions of the eastern front of the Rockies saw heavier flights to end the period, associated with large movements occurring in the favorable conditions in the Great Plains.