Locally moderate flights occurred in the West during this period and featured Bufflehead, Lesser Scaup, Dunlin, Herring Gull, Mew Gull, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Hermit Thrush, and American Pipit, while a significant pulse of moderate to very heavy flights occurred in the East and featured Brant, Bufflehead, Surf Scoter, American Coot, Bonaparte’s Gull, Hermit Thrush, Lapland Longspur, American Tree Sparrow, White-throated Sparrow, and Swamp Sparrow.
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Locally moderate to heavy flights were scattered across the Upper Midwest to begin the period; little movement was apparent east of the Appalachians. A significant cold front arrive and began to push through the region on Saturday night and Sunday, bringing widespread moderate to very heavy flights to the west of the Appalachians on Sunday night and then similarly intense flights to the east of the Appalachians on Monday night. The days following the frontal passage saw typically diminished intensity and extent of movements, as warmer and southerly flow returned with building high pressure. These flights were primarily light to moderate, occurring primarily west of the Appalachians.
Top Movers
Increasing
Species
Increase from Last Week
% of Checklists Reporting
Dark-eyed Junco
155%
18.2
Hermit Thrush
127%
10
White-throated Sparrow
59%
35.3
Brant
255%
2.3
Golden-crowned Kinglet
57%
20.6
Fox Sparrow
180%
2.5
American Tree Sparrow
488%
1.5
Pine Siskin
109%
3.4
Ruddy Duck
81%
4.7
Bufflehead
734%
1.1
Surf Scoter
122%
2.7
Yellow-rumped Warbler
36%
37.6
American Coot
63%
5.4
Bonaparte's Gull
104%
2.8
Dunlin
106%
2.7
White-crowned Sparrow
36%
11.7
Red-tailed Hawk
26%
16.8
Winter Wren
53%
5.2
Pied-billed Grebe
34%
8.8
Ring-necked Duck
79%
2.1
Song Sparrow
16%
40.4
Swamp Sparrow
23%
17.2
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
18%
26.1
Lesser Scaup
99%
1.3
Common Loon
41%
4
Decreasing
Species
Decrease from Last Week
% of Checklists Reporting
Chimney Swift
-97%
0.3
Black-throated Green Warbler
-95%
0.3
Gray Catbird
-68%
9.3
Magnolia Warbler
-96%
0.2
Common Yellowthroat
-71%
4.1
Indigo Bunting
-82%
0.9
Swainson's Thrush
-84%
0.7
House Wren
-65%
3
American Redstart
-86%
0.7
Red-eyed Vireo
-90%
0.4
Tennessee Warbler
-82%
0.8
Scarlet Tanager
-99%
0
Rose-breasted Grosbeak
-97%
0.1
Black-and-white Warbler
-92%
0.3
Eastern Wood-Pewee
-92%
0.3
Nashville Warbler
-67%
1.5
Eastern Phoebe
-33%
17.1
Great Egret
-35%
7.2
Blackpoll Warbler
-74%
0.7
Gray-cheeked Thrush
-91%
0.1
Northern Flicker
-22%
25.5
Killdeer
-26%
9.6
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
-79%
0.5
Wood Duck
-24%
9.3
Blue-winged Teal
-49%
1.8
Golden-crowned Kinglet. Michael McCloy/Macaulay Library. eBird S32150176.
Gulf Coast and Southeast
Locally moderate and heavy flights were scattered across the region to begin the period. But it was the passage of a cold front on Sunday night that significantly expanded the extent and enhanced the intensity of the flights. Moderate to heavy flights became widespread west of the Mississippi River on Sunday night, intensifying in areas east of the Mississippi River on Monday to include heavy and very heavy flights in Florida and the southern Appalachians and coastal plains. With the passage of the system, and the arrival of more southerly flow on Tuesday, flight intensities dropped significantly in most areas as did their extents for the remainder of the period. Locally moderate to heavy flights continued in Florida.
Top Movers
Increasing
Species
Increase from Last Week
% of Checklists Reporting
Yellow-rumped Warbler
664%
13.6
White-throated Sparrow
14998%
4.1
Swamp Sparrow
1110%
4.8
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
379%
9
Savannah Sparrow
389%
4.3
Golden-crowned Kinglet
6035%
3.3
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
167%
15.1
House Wren
132%
14
Orange-crowned Warbler
208%
4.5
Palm Warbler
89%
22.8
Eastern Meadowlark
132%
5.5
Hermit Thrush
591%
1.7
Winter Wren
632%
1.6
Eastern Phoebe
53%
32.6
Song Sparrow
94%
8.1
Gadwall
242%
2
Lincoln's Sparrow
183%
2.6
Tree Swallow
104%
4.7
White-crowned Sparrow
290%
1.5
Dunlin
295%
1.4
Blue-headed Vireo
109%
3.5
Common Grackle
38%
14.1
Double-crested Cormorant
26%
15.2
Brown Creeper
777%
0.4
American Coot
58%
5.2
Decreasing
Species
Decrease from Last Week
% of Checklists Reporting
Chimney Swift
-89%
1.2
Yellow Warbler
-92%
0.3
Swainson's Thrush
-67%
2.4
Summer Tanager
-71%
1.8
Scarlet Tanager
-77%
1.1
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
-62%
5.5
Red-eyed Vireo
-58%
4.7
Eastern Wood-Pewee
-58%
3.7
Wood Thrush
-67%
0.9
Gray-cheeked Thrush
-79%
0.4
Magnolia Warbler
-49%
5.4
Wilson's Warbler
-65%
0.9
Peregrine Falcon
-52%
2.1
Chestnut-sided Warbler
-48%
2.4
American Redstart
-30%
12.9
Philadelphia Vireo
-66%
0.5
Black-chinned Hummingbird
-95%
0
Tennessee Warbler
-37%
4
Yellow-crowned Night-Heron
-58%
0.8
White-eyed Vireo
-23%
13
Barn Swallow
-35%
4.1
Scissor-tailed Flycatcher
-31%
3.7
Dickcissel
-68%
0.3
Warbling Vireo
-97%
0
Rough-legged Hawk. Alex Lamoreaux/Macaulay Library. eBird S39999931.
Great Plains
Scattered moderate to heavy flights dominated the central and southern Plains airspace to begin the period. These flights continued, though significantly reduced in distribution and intensity, on Sunday night. But with high pressure and return flow in place on Monday and Tuesday, movements became significantly more localized and light. Other than a pulse of moderate flights in the central Plains on Wednesday night, these conditions and their associated low intensity and local flights continued through the remainder of the period.
Top Movers
Increasing
Species
Increase from Last Week
% of Checklists Reporting
Gadwall
226%
16.6
Dark-eyed Junco
156%
24.7
American Tree Sparrow
905%
4
Song Sparrow
128%
17.4
White-throated Sparrow
96%
17.9
Golden-crowned Kinglet
312%
3.7
Bufflehead
234%
4.2
Ring-necked Duck
170%
5.2
White-crowned Sparrow
87%
15.1
Harris's Sparrow
88%
10.7
Greater White-fronted Goose
172%
4.4
Mallard
51%
25.4
American Wigeon
92%
7.8
Hermit Thrush
221%
3.4
Redhead
84%
6.2
Lapland Longspur
503%
1.6
Cackling Goose
238%
1.8
Pied-billed Grebe
39%
21.1
Rough-legged Hawk
1220%
1.1
Sandhill Crane
120%
4.6
Savannah Sparrow
41%
12.7
Horned Grebe
201%
1.8
Horned Lark
56%
7.5
Field Sparrow
68%
6.5
Purple Finch
248%
1.4
Decreasing
Species
Decrease from Last Week
% of Checklists Reporting
Nashville Warbler
-87%
1.5
Gray Catbird
-97%
0.2
Common Yellowthroat
-99%
0.1
Swainson's Hawk
-100%
0
House Wren
-85%
1.4
Barn Swallow
-88%
1.1
Clay-colored Sparrow
-85%
0.8
Brown Thrasher
-85%
0.9
Eastern Phoebe
-56%
6.8
Turkey Vulture
-45%
16.8
Orange-crowned Warbler
-52%
8.6
Blue-winged Teal
-58%
4
Great Egret
-53%
5.4
Tree Swallow
-93%
0.1
Snowy Egret
-91%
0.2
Indigo Bunting
-74%
1
Scissor-tailed Flycatcher
-59%
3
Mourning Dove
-33%
22.1
Chimney Swift
-110%
-0.8
Osprey
-42%
4.7
Sora
-64%
0.9
Long-billed Dowitcher
-58%
1.2
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
-101%
0
Summer Tanager
-114%
-0.3
Pectoral Sandpiper
-82%
0.2
Dunlin. Steve Mlodinow/Macaulay Library. eBird S11892114.
West
Light to moderate flights occurred around the fringes of the region to kickoff the period, from the Pacific Northwest south along the Pacific Coast and then east along the Mexican border to Texas. These flights were most intense on Saturday night, including some locally heavy flights in the southern Rockies. Beginning Monday, many of these areas saw noticeably less intense movements, and generally local very light flights across the remainder of the region. Some exceptions occurred in the Central Valley and southern Rockies, where slightly more intense flights continues through the end of the period. Note that on Thursday, areas that had experienced the most intense flights of the week saw precipitation, effectively shutting down migration.