Regional Migration Analysis: 25 August – 1 September 2017
Andrew FarnsworthThe Cornell LabSep 01, 2017
Philadelphia Vireo. Daniel Jauvin/Macaulay Library. eBird S38795447.
Continental Summary
Light to moderate movements were the norm in the West and featured American Wigeon, Northern Pintail, Green-winged Teal, Wilson’s Warbler, Townsend’s Warbler, and Green-tailed Towhee, while moderate to locally heavy flights were common in the East and featured American Golden-Plover, Swainson’s Thrush, Canada Warbler, Nashville Warbler, Bay-breasted Warbler, and Baltimore Oriole. Hurricane Harvey slammed Texas, bringing with it large numbers of Magnificent Frigatebirds and terns.
Curious what birds will move next? Check out our forecast.
Need a review of our definitions for regions, species on the move, and migration amounts? Please visit this link.
Moderate to locally heavy movement,s primarily east of the Ohio River Valley, kicked off the weekend. These were followed by similarly intense movements in the Upper Midwest to begin the work week. Gradually these movements spread east, becoming more widespread across the region as the period progressed. By Thursday night moderate to locally heavy flights were apparent from the central Great Lakes east through the Ohio River Valley to the mid Atlantic and southern New England coasts.
Top Movers
Increasing
Species
Increase from Last Week
% of Checklists Reporting
Magnolia Warbler
88%
7.3
Tennessee Warbler
86%
5
American Redstart
42%
15.7
Chestnut-sided Warbler
53%
7.5
Blackburnian Warbler
66%
4.2
Common Nighthawk
55%
6.9
Bay-breasted Warbler
109%
1.9
Wilson's Warbler
88%
2.6
Black-throated Green Warbler
62%
4.1
Black-and-white Warbler
40%
10.5
Swainson's Thrush
102%
1.9
Nashville Warbler
64%
3
Blackpoll Warbler
99%
1.5
Least Flycatcher
46%
4.3
American Golden-Plover
77%
1.8
White-breasted Nuthatch
12%
30
Red-eyed Vireo
19%
19.1
Warbling Vireo
37%
6.6
Red-bellied Woodpecker
13%
23
Cape May Warbler
73%
1.8
Blue Jay
8%
46.6
Northern Flicker
14%
20.2
Common Yellowthroat
21%
15.7
Philadelphia Vireo
96%
1
Northern Parula
61%
2.3
Decreasing
Species
Decrease from Last Week
% of Checklists Reporting
Eastern Kingbird
-41%
7.9
Purple Martin
-39%
2.8
Indigo Bunting
-36%
5.6
Barn Swallow
-20%
22.7
Cliff Swallow
-37%
1.4
Yellow Warbler
-27%
3.7
Red-winged Blackbird
-18%
11.9
Yellow-billed Cuckoo
-22%
3
Song Sparrow
-15%
24.1
Spotted Sandpiper
-15%
7.8
Bank Swallow
-24%
2.6
Fish Crow
-17%
4
Black Tern
-30%
0.9
Tree Swallow
-11%
13
Sedge Wren
-48%
0.4
Blue Grosbeak
-21%
2
Baltimore Oriole
-9%
9.3
Chipping Sparrow
-9%
12.9
Short-billed Dowitcher
-16%
3.3
Black-necked Stilt
-42%
0.2
Great Black-backed Gull
-10%
6.6
Common Grackle
-8%
14.2
Swamp Sparrow
-22%
1.7
Black Tern. Jane Mann/Macaulay Library. eBird S38800297.
Gulf Coast and Southeast
Hurricane Harvey brought unprecedented and devastating rain, in addition to powerful wind, as it lumbered ashore and then back to the Gulf again before heading north and east over the Mississippi River. Light to moderate movements were the norm in many areas of there Gulf of Mexico region as it came ashore, and its effects were probably farther reaching than they appeared from a bird migration perspective. By Monday night, as the storm moved slowly north and east, moderate and heavy flights followed in its wake over Texas. Some areas of Florida also experienced intense movements. As the system moved farther away from the Gulf, migration intensities stayed more or less constant with moderate to locally heavy flights continuing to the west of the storm and generally more local moderate flights to its east. Note, the species list below includes Hurricane Harvey displaced birds as well as the usual movers.
Top Movers
Increasing
Species
Increase from Last Week
% of Checklists Reporting
American Redstart
54%
7.6
Magnificent Frigatebird
71%
3.3
Black-and-white Warbler
37%
6.3
Northern Parula
28%
8.9
Northern Waterthrush
72%
2.5
Eastern Wood-Pewee
24%
8.7
Hooded Warbler
39%
4
Red-shouldered Hawk
16%
16
Yellow Warbler
21%
8.1
Baltimore Oriole
88%
1.6
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
13%
21
Canada Warbler
89%
1.3
Bank Swallow
38%
2.8
White-eyed Vireo
15%
12.9
Blue-winged Teal
35%
4.3
Least Flycatcher
59%
1.3
Bald Eagle
25%
3.3
Loggerhead Shrike
15%
6.9
Royal Tern
14%
8.2
Belted Kingfisher
12%
9.7
Black Tern
19%
4.7
Wilson's Warbler
88%
0.7
Sooty Tern
92%
0.8
Yellow-throated Vireo
23%
2.8
Forster's Tern
16%
5.1
Decreasing
Species
Decrease from Last Week
% of Checklists Reporting
Mississippi Kite
-32%
3.8
Indigo Bunting
-34%
3.7
Blue Grosbeak
-24%
4.8
Black-chinned Hummingbird
-29%
2
Upland Sandpiper
-50%
0.6
Yellow-billed Cuckoo
-23%
4.1
Western Wood-Pewee
-80%
0.1
Eastern Towhee
-12%
10.9
Western Kingbird
-32%
0.9
Chipping Sparrow
-19%
3.9
Gull-billed Tern
-35%
0.5
Eastern Meadowlark
-23%
1.7
Roseate Spoonbill
-15%
3.2
American Robin
-10%
7.2
Field Sparrow
-22%
1.8
White Ibis
-6%
12.7
Eastern Bluebird
-8%
13.4
Pectoral Sandpiper
-15%
4.4
Broad-tailed Hummingbird
-64%
0.1
Long-billed Dowitcher
-27%
0.7
Swainson’s Thrush. Doris Guimond et Claude Gagnon/Macaulay Library. eBird S38464026.
Great Plains
Scattered light to locally moderate flights gave way to more widespread moderate flights over the first few days of the forecast period. These flights intensified in the southern Plains by Tuesday, but thereafter the region was mostly quiet for the remainder of the period. Note that some of the most intense movements in the southern Plains were associated with the passage to the east of Hurricane Harvey’s remnants.
Light and moderate flights were the norm around the region for the period, despite some widely scattered precipitation in the mountainous regions of the West. Some of these flights were more intense, particularly to begin the period in the southern Rockies and to end the period in the northern Rockies and Great Basin.