Light to moderate mid and end of week flights in the West featured numerous waterfowl, Varied Thrush, Hermit Thrush, and Pine Siskin, while extensive moderate to heavy flights last weekend saw the passage of Brant, Bufflehead, Red-throated Loon, Bald Eagle, Wilson’s Snipe, Merlin, Brown Creeper, Saltmarsh Sparrow, and Dark-eyed Junco.
Curious what birds will move next? Check out our forecast.
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A moderate and locally heavy weekend movement persisted through Sunday for the Northeast. But Monday night saw the arrival of much less favorable conditions for movement, including warming temperatures and southerly flow, shutting down flights for the region. With the eventual passage of a frontal boundary on Wednesday and Thursday nights, moderate to heavy flights returned to the region, first in the Upper Midwest and then for portions of the Ohio River Valley and northern Appalachians.
Top Movers
Increasing
Species
Increase from Last Week
% of Checklists Reporting
Bufflehead
110%
2.8
Common Goldeneye
98%
0.6
Ruddy Turnstone
89%
0.7
Hooded Merganser
79%
3.3
Red-throated Loon
71%
0.9
Dunlin
67%
5.2
Northern Shrike
64%
0.3
Long-tailed Duck
51%
0.6
Red-breasted Merganser
42%
2
Pine Siskin
38%
4.7
Black Scoter
35%
1.7
Fox Sparrow
34%
4.1
Horned Grebe
28%
1.8
Black-bellied Plover
26%
3.9
Brant
25%
2.7
Rusty Blackbird
19%
4.2
American Tree Sparrow
18%
2.8
American Black Duck
15%
8.6
Green-winged Teal
12%
8.7
Dark-eyed Junco
8%
25.9
Decreasing
Species
Decrease from Last Week
% of Checklists Reporting
Chimney Swift
-104%
-0.1
Cape May Warbler
-92%
0
Northern Parula
-86%
0.1
Black-and-white Warbler
-86%
0.1
American Redstart
-82%
0.1
Indigo Bunting
-80%
0.4
Magnolia Warbler
-80%
0.1
Black-throated Green Warbler
-74%
0.5
Red-eyed Vireo
-67%
0.3
Swainson's Thrush
-66%
0.4
Black-throated Blue Warbler
-62%
0.7
Nashville Warbler
-58%
1
Blackpoll Warbler
-57%
1.7
Tennessee Warbler
-54%
0.6
Pine Warbler
-51%
1.4
Blue-winged Teal
-49%
1.7
House Wren
-42%
1.6
Gray Catbird
-37%
8.4
Tree Swallow
-37%
6.2
Osprey
-35%
2.7
Palm Warbler
-33%
8.4
Common Yellowthroat
-32%
4.3
Blue-headed Vireo
-31%
3.5
Great Egret
-28%
5.9
Eastern Phoebe
-20%
14.2
Saltmarsh Sparrow, Ryan Schain
Gulf Coast and Southeast
An intense and extensive movement kicked off the weekend, with moderate to very heavy flights on Friday night continuing more locally through Sunday night. But this major movement was the highlight of the week, as return flow and its generally unfavorable conditions spread through the region beginning on Monday. These primarily southerly and unfavorable winds kept most movements local and light. Note, however, that some of the easternmost reaches of the region continued to experience more intense movements, particularly in Florida on Thursday night.
Top Movers
Increasing
Species
Increase from Last Week
% of Checklists Reporting
Black Scoter
133%
0.3
Saltmarsh Sparrow
97%
0.3
Winter Wren
65%
1.9
Cedar Waxwing
61%
2.2
Gadwall
57%
2.8
Pine Siskin
53%
0.5
Dark-eyed Junco
51%
2.1
Brown Creeper
51%
1
Golden-crowned Kinglet
49%
5.1
White-throated Sparrow
42%
8.2
Green-winged Teal
42%
2.9
Ruddy Duck
36%
2.3
Northern Pintail
36%
2.2
American Wigeon
31%
2.5
Dunlin
29%
2.3
Wilson's Snipe
25%
4.3
Orange-crowned Warbler
24%
5.2
Greater Yellowlegs
21%
5.5
Ring-necked Duck
20%
1.6
Yellow-rumped Warbler
17%
17.3
Tree Swallow
16%
9
Song Sparrow
15%
11
Double-crested Cormorant
15%
21.5
American Kestrel
14%
16.4
Decreasing
Species
Decrease from Last Week
% of Checklists Reporting
Blackburnian Warbler
-98%
0
Bobolink
-94%
0
Yellow Warbler
-82%
0.2
Chestnut-sided Warbler
-71%
0.4
Scarlet Tanager
-70%
0.7
Chimney Swift
-69%
1.6
Red-eyed Vireo
-69%
1.3
Swainson's Thrush
-65%
1.6
Blue Grosbeak
-64%
0.7
Summer Tanager
-60%
1.4
Rose-breasted Grosbeak
-59%
1.3
Magnolia Warbler
-57%
2.8
Gray-cheeked Thrush
-54%
0.8
Tennessee Warbler
-53%
2.4
Wood Thrush
-52%
1
Indigo Bunting
-49%
7
Yellow-billed Cuckoo
-49%
1.4
Northern Parula
-44%
4.5
Ovenbird
-43%
2.9
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
-42%
5.1
Yellow-throated Warbler
-40%
3.3
Prairie Warbler
-39%
3
American Redstart
-32%
8.2
White-eyed Vireo
-32%
9.7
Common Yellowthroat
-30%
13.1
American Tree Sparrow, Ryan Schain
Great Plains
The region experienced a quiet weekend for migration as southerly flow and high pressure had birds mostly staying put. Locally light and moderate flights on Monday night were primarily central and northern Plains events, whereas more intense movements, including some locally very heavy flights, occurred in the central and southern Plains on Wednesday night. But the whole system shut down on Thursday night with extensive precipitation associated with circulation around an arriving low pressure center.
Top Movers
Increasing
Species
Increase from Last Week
% of Checklists Reporting
Merlin
181%
2.9
Ring-necked Duck
165%
9.3
Cackling Goose
105%
3.3
Winter Wren
94%
1.9
Whooping Crane
60%
1
Herring Gull
58%
4.6
Bewick's Wren
55%
1.8
Bonaparte's Gull
53%
3.3
Horned Grebe
50%
5.6
Rusty Blackbird
44%
1.7
Lesser Scaup
43%
3.4
Greater White-fronted Goose
35%
3.9
Gadwall
31%
11.4
American Wigeon
31%
8.7
Bald Eagle
26%
10.9
Ruddy Duck
25%
10.2
Redhead
25%
8.6
Dark-eyed Junco
23%
34.7
Green-winged Teal
22%
11.9
Ring-billed Gull
21%
24.1
Song Sparrow
18%
21.3
American Tree Sparrow
16%
5.5
Decreasing
Species
Decrease from Last Week
% of Checklists Reporting
House Wren
-95%
0.2
Barn Swallow
-89%
0.4
Nelson's Sparrow
-87%
0.3
Nashville Warbler
-80%
0.7
Common Yellowthroat
-80%
0.6
Blue-headed Vireo
-79%
0.2
Northern Rough-winged Swallow
-74%
0.2
Swainson's Hawk
-72%
0.3
Brown Thrasher
-65%
1.2
Black-throated Green Warbler
-64%
0.4
Snowy Egret
-61%
0.8
Pectoral Sandpiper
-59%
0.7
Red-headed Woodpecker
-57%
1.2
Eastern Phoebe
-51%
4.4
Orange-crowned Warbler
-44%
6.8
Sedge Wren
-40%
2.2
Lincoln's Sparrow
-39%
8.4
Scissor-tailed Flycatcher
-36%
3.2
Turkey Vulture
-32%
15.9
Red-winged Blackbird
-26%
21
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
-24%
13.2
Common Grackle
-18%
11.1
Blue Jay
-14%
38.1
Pine Siskin, Ryan Schain
West
Scattered precipitation kept most birds grounded for the start of the period across the region. By Sunday scattered light flights occurred in California and portions of Oregon. These movements persisted through Tuesday night, and even intensified, particularly in the Pacific Northwest. The remainder of the period saw a continuation of lesser intensity flights along the Pacific and in portions of the Desert Southwest.
