Black Brant, Doug Gochfeld

Continental Summary

A relatively quiet week of scattered light migration featuring Brant, Common Goldeneye, Barrow’s Goldeneye, California Gull, Chestnut-collared Longspur, and Golden-crowned Sparrow is in store for this late migration period in the West, while the passage of two strong cold fronts spawn the season’s last major moderate to heavy flights featuring Lesser Scaup, Long-tailed Duck, Bufflehead, Hooded Merganser, Great Cormorant, Purple Sandpiper, and Rusty Blackbird in the East.

Check out what birds were on the move this past week in our analysis.

Arrows show wind speed and direction (arrow points in the direction to which wind is blowing) 100 m above ground level. Areas with southerly winds are colored red; northerly winds colored blue. Accumulated precipitation (in 6 hour intervals) is green, outlined by white. Broadly speaking, areas of the map in blue will experience conditions that are favorable for migration, and areas where blue and green (and red and blue) intersect and overlap may experience migrant concentrations and fallouts as migrants interact with precipitation.

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Need a review of our definitions for regions, species on the move, and migration amounts? Please visit this link.

Quick Links to Regions

Upper Midwest and Northeast	Gulf Coast and Southeast
Great Plains	West

Upper Midwest and Northeast

After a prolonged period of southerly and southwesterly flow, a frontal passage brings favorable conditions for moderate to heavy flights to much of the region for the weekend. This flight has the potential to include interesting western vagrants, including Cave Swallow and Ash-throated Flycatcher, in addition to arrivals of later season intercontinental migrants and departures of lingering Neotropical migrants. By Monday, southerly flow returns to much of the region, quieting migration significantly in all areas except perhaps the immediate Atlantic Coast until late in the period; note that several pulses of locally moderate flights are likely along the coast from the Monday to Thursday. The end of the work week, specifically Thursday and Friday, will see another low pressure system approach and enter the region. When this system passes, the last large flight of moderate to locally very heavy intensities will follow.

Harlequin Duck, Ryan Schain

Species on the Move

Beginning Arrivals What is this?

Peaking Arrivals

Beginning Departures

Ending Departures

Gulf Coast and Southeast

Favorable conditions late in the weekend bring moderate to heavy movements to the region. Away from the immediate southeastern coastal plain, these movements are short-lived. Southerly flow returns for much of the work week, significantly reducing flights to scattered light movements. A major change comes on Wednesday and Thursday, as a strong frontal boundary moves into the region. Heavy flights will occur west of the Mississippi by Thursday, followed by similarly intense and more extensive flights by Friday.

Lesser Scaup, Ryan Schain

Beginning Arrivals What is this?

Peaking Arrivals

Beginning Departures

Ending Departures

Great Plains

Friday and Saturday see moderate to heavy flights across much of the region. However, southerly flow returns quickly, and holds sway for much of the region until Wednesday. During these days mostly light movements will occur locally, with some heavier flights near the Canadian border. Tuesday night sees the arrival of a low pressure center that will spawn moderate to locally very heavy flights in the days that follow before more southerly flow returns after Friday.

Cackling Goose, Ryan Schain

Species on the Move

Beginning Arrivals What is this?

Peaking Arrivals

Beginning Departures

Ending Departures

West

At this late date in the season, most movements in the region will be light and local. This period is no exception, and the weekend begins with light and local flights in the Desert Southwest. Movements of similar low intensity also come to the Pacific Northwest, Great Basin and northern Rockies on Tuesday. These flights continue and expand to the south and east during the remainder of the week, but intensities remain low and extents remain more local. By the end of the period, flights are primarily distributed from the Desert Southwest north and east through the central Rockies.

Trumpeter Swans, Chris Wood

Species on the Move

Beginning Arrivals What is this?

Peaking Arrivals

Beginning Departures

Ending Departures

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Farnsworth and Van Doren