
Red-throated Loon, Ryan Schain
Continental Summary
A generally quiet week in the West featured isolated light and moderate flights of Greater White-fronted Goose, Northern Pintail, Bufflehead, Common Goldeneye, Western Bluebird, and Yellow-rumped Warbler, while moderate flights of Red-breasted Merganser, White-winged Scoter, Franklin’s Gull, American Robin, Savannah Sparrow, and American Tree Sparrow graced the East early and late in the period.
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Upper Midwest and Northeast![]() |
Gulf Coast and Southeast![]() |
Great Plains![]() |
West![]() |
Upper Midwest and Northeast
Moderate to locally heavy flights kicked off the weekend, though most movements occurred south and west of New England and New York. Coastal areas in New England were the exception, experiencing moderate and locally heavy flights on Saturday and Sunday nights. Following the weekend, an unsettled period kept most birds grounded – precipitation associated with several passing disturbances shut down the system for most locations and nights. Some areas of the mid Atlantic experienced locally moderate flights on Wednesday night.
Top Movers
Increasing
Species | Increase from Last Week | % of Checklists Reporting |
---|---|---|
Red-breasted Merganser | 76% | 4.9 |
Red-throated Loon | 66% | 3.3 |
Cave Swallow | 314% | 0.3 |
Bufflehead | 31% | 11.3 |
White-winged Scoter | 50% | 3.1 |
Long-tailed Duck | 45% | 2.5 |
Harlequin Duck | 70% | 0.5 |
Black Scoter | 48% | 2.9 |
American Tree Sparrow | 12% | 9.6 |
Hooded Merganser | 21% | 7.3 |
Razorbill | 51% | 0.3 |
Surf Scoter | 34% | 2.9 |
Purple Sandpiper | 45% | 0.3 |
Dovekie | 161% | 0 |
Common Merganser | 22% | 4.4 |
Common Goldeneye | 24% | 2.5 |
Franklin's Gull | 124% | 0.7 |
Tundra Swan | 21% | 0.9 |
Common Loon | 12% | 9.1 |
Horned Grebe | 14% | 4.1 |
Common Eider | 15% | 2.1 |
American Avocet | 36% | 0.2 |
Ruddy Turnstone | 31% | 0.5 |
Decreasing
Species | Decrease from Last Week | % of Checklists Reporting |
---|---|---|
Pectoral Sandpiper | -85% | 0.1 |
Yellow-rumped Warbler | -32% | 8.6 |
Dickcissel | -79% | 0.1 |
Red-winged Blackbird | -28% | 14.7 |
Golden-crowned Kinglet | -33% | 6.5 |
Chipping Sparrow | -50% | 1.5 |
Savannah Sparrow | -41% | 2.5 |
Common Grackle | -28% | 7.2 |
Killdeer | -35% | 4.4 |
Orange-crowned Warbler | -61% | 0.3 |
Swamp Sparrow | -31% | 5.4 |
White-crowned Sparrow | -40% | 2.7 |
Gray Catbird | -57% | 1 |
American Woodcock | -60% | 0.2 |
American Robin | -17% | 33.9 |
Semipalmated Plover | -83% | 0.1 |
Black-bellied Plover | -36% | 1.4 |
Osprey | -63% | 0.3 |
Greater Yellowlegs | -28% | 3.1 |
Cedar Waxwing | -24% | 10.9 |
Eastern Bluebird | -20% | 11.3 |
Clay-colored Sparrow | -95% | 0 |
Lesser Yellowlegs | -55% | 0.4 |
Pine Siskin | -29% | 3.1 |
Wood Duck | -25% | 4.1 |

American Robin, Ryan Schain
Gulf Coast and Southeast
A variety of weather conditions yielded a similarly varied migration scene from Friday through Monday night. Light to locally heavy movements kicked off the weekend in many areas excluding the Mississippi River valley and southern Appalachian terminus. As the rain associated with the disturbance moved east, moderate and locally heavy flights continued but excluding the southeastern coastal Plains and southern Appalachians on Sunday. By Monday night movements were local, but moderate, as generally marginal and unfavorable conditions were spreads across the region. A widespread moderate flight occurred east of the Mississippi River on Tuesday night, while Wednesday saw generally lower intensity but more widely scattered flights as a frontal boundary bisected the region. The period ended with moderate flights scattered from Texas east through the southern Appalachians and Florida Panhandle.
Top Movers
Increasing
Species | Increase from Last Week | % of Checklists Reporting |
---|---|---|
Lesser Scaup | 102% | 2.9 |
American Robin | 40% | 20.4 |
Bufflehead | 211% | 1.5 |
Horned Grebe | 67% | 2.5 |
Ring-necked Duck | 47% | 5.8 |
American Goldfinch | 32% | 13 |
Hooded Merganser | 101% | 2.2 |
Red-breasted Merganser | 278% | 0.7 |
Cedar Waxwing | 38% | 4.8 |
Dark-eyed Junco | 28% | 7.5 |
Savannah Sparrow | 39% | 12.9 |
Rusty Blackbird | 116% | 0.8 |
Redhead | 36% | 3.7 |
Harris's Sparrow | 349% | 0.4 |
Yellow-rumped Warbler | 19% | 31 |
Ruddy Duck | 23% | 7 |
Northern Gannet | 68% | 1.1 |
Red-tailed Hawk | 27% | 13 |
American Pipit | 35% | 3 |
Canvasback | 61% | 1.1 |
Winter Wren | 49% | 2.6 |
Bonaparte's Gull | 48% | 1.2 |
Eared Grebe | 49% | 1.1 |
Decreasing
Species | Decrease from Last Week | % of Checklists Reporting |
---|---|---|
Black-throated Green Warbler | -63% | 1.2 |
Barn Swallow | -52% | 2.9 |
Indigo Bunting | -50% | 3.2 |
Scissor-tailed Flycatcher | -49% | 3.4 |
Northern Rough-winged Swallow | -53% | 0.9 |
Tennessee Warbler | -61% | 0.6 |
Summer Tanager | -62% | 0.5 |
American Redstart | -57% | 0.8 |
Ruby-throated Hummingbird | -43% | 2.8 |
Rose-breasted Grosbeak | -65% | 0.4 |

Bufflehead, Ryan Schain
Great Plains
Scattered light to locally moderate flights on the weekend diminished to little to no movement by Sunday and Monday night. The end of the week saw slight improvements but only at a very local scale, with most movements isolated and light to moderate and nowhere distributed widely. These included light to moderate flights in the eastern Plains on Thursday night from the Dakotas south to Oklahoma.
Top Movers
Increasing
Species | Increase from Last Week | % of Checklists Reporting |
---|---|---|
Purple Finch | 750% | 4.3 |
Thayer's Gull | 149% | 4.2 |
Herring Gull | 120% | 10 |
Common Merganser | 118% | 2.8 |
Red-breasted Merganser | 94% | 3.3 |
Cackling Goose | 93% | 5.2 |
Hooded Merganser | 31% | 7.1 |
Lesser Scaup | 20% | 11.4 |
Black-headed Gull | 141% | 0.5 |
Common Goldeneye | 39% | 2.4 |
Common Loon | 25% | 5 |
Nashville Warbler | 375% | 0.3 |
White-winged Scoter | 39% | 1.3 |
Greater Scaup | 32% | 1.3 |
Ring-billed Gull | 8% | 31.4 |
American Tree Sparrow | 16% | 12.2 |
Bonaparte's Gull | 15% | 7.3 |
Cedar Waxwing | 13% | 11 |
Ring-necked Duck | 13% | 10.9 |
Redhead | 12% | 15.2 |
Belted Kingfisher | 12% | 10.6 |
Mallard | 7% | 33.8 |
Rusty Blackbird | 18% | 1.5 |
Pine Grosbeak | 29% | 0.7 |
Decreasing
Species | Decrease from Last Week | % of Checklists Reporting |
---|---|---|
Sandhill Crane | -85% | 0.5 |
Chipping Sparrow | -67% | 1.4 |
Swamp Sparrow | -80% | 0.5 |
Merlin | -78% | 0.5 |
Lincoln's Sparrow | -68% | 1.2 |
Savannah Sparrow | -51% | 3 |
Fox Sparrow | -53% | 2.4 |
White-throated Sparrow | -39% | 5.4 |
Eared Grebe | -60% | 1.3 |
Franklin's Gull | -30% | 8.8 |
American Crow | -22% | 31.6 |
American Avocet | -48% | 1.3 |
White-crowned Sparrow | -25% | 8.1 |
Green-winged Teal | -23% | 9.2 |
Sedge Wren | -92% | 0 |
Turkey Vulture | -64% | 0.6 |
Orange-crowned Warbler | -51% | 1.2 |
Snowy Owl | -67% | 0.4 |
Ruby-crowned Kinglet | -28% | 5.9 |
American White Pelican | -25% | 6.1 |
Rough-legged Hawk | -66% | 1.2 |
Song Sparrow | -16% | 14.4 |
Le Conte's Sparrow | -44% | 1.2 |
Lapland Longspur | -51% | 0.7 |

Ross’s Goose, Ryan Schain
West
The region was generally quiet for this week, typical of this late date in the season. Locally light movements from the Central Valley south and east through the Desert Southwest were the primary subjects of the period’s flights.
Top Movers
Increasing
Species | Increase from Last Week | % of Checklists Reporting |
---|---|---|
Common Goldeneye | 45% | 2.1 |
Bufflehead | 16% | 15.9 |
Canvasback | 25% | 3.7 |
Hooded Merganser | 18% | 6.3 |
Greater White-fronted Goose | 23% | 2.5 |
Barrow's Goldeneye | 25% | 1.5 |
Sanderling | 21% | 2 |
Ring-necked Duck | 13% | 9.3 |
Snow Goose | 9% | 2.3 |
Red-breasted Merganser | 6% | 4.2 |
Western Bluebird | 11% | 8 |
Yellow-rumped Warbler | 6% | 33.6 |
Northern Pintail | 11% | 7.3 |
Decreasing
Species | Decrease from Last Week | % of Checklists Reporting |
---|---|---|
Brant | -57% | 0.4 |
Common Loon | -34% | 3.4 |
Townsend's Solitaire | -25% | 1.5 |
Pacific Golden-Plover | -71% | 0 |
Wilson's Warbler | -80% | 0.1 |
Surfbird | -33% | 0.7 |
Lewis's Woodpecker | -48% | 0.2 |
Nashville Warbler | -76% | 0 |
Harlequin Duck | -34% | 0.5 |
Clark's Nutcracker | -29% | 0.5 |
Evening Grosbeak | -24% | 0.7 |
Chestnut-collared Longspur | -54% | 0.1 |
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Farnsworth and Van Doren