Light to moderate flights in the West last weekend featured Bufflehead, Cackling Goose, Ring-necked Duck, Herring Gull, Varied Thrush, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Golden-crowned Sparrow, and Dark-eyed Junco, while several pulses of moderate to very heavy flights in the East featured Green-winged Teal, Bufflehead, Northern Harrier, Wilson’s Snipe, Hermit Thrush, Eastern Meadowlark, Snow Bunting, White-throated Sparrow, Swamp Sparrow, Le Conte’s Sparrow, and Field Sparrow.
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Northerly flow and slightly cooler temperatures following the passage of a cold front brought moderate to very heavy flights to the Midwest and Northeast on Friday and Saturday nights. Following the passage of this front, high pressure returned to the region and quieted the movements substantially by Sunday night. Another frontal passage through the region brought moderate to heavy flights in the Midwest and mid Atlantic on Monday and Tuesday nights, with the extent of these flights reaching the coast by Wednesday night. Note that some coastal movements on Wednesday night were very heavy, particular in New Jersey and DelMarVa. Another disturbance moving through the eastern Great Lakes on Thursday night spawned a new round of moderate to heavy flights, as the remainder of the region farther east saw little movement in primarily unfavorable southerly flow. Note that some localized flights occurred in the mid Atlantic, where conditions were locally favorable for the large number of migrants from previous nights’ to take flight.
Top Movers
Increasing
Species
Increase from Last Week
% of Checklists Reporting
Ruddy Duck
73%
5.5
American Coot
44%
6
American Tree Sparrow
118%
1.2
Dark-eyed Junco
23%
16.5
Franklin's Gull
84%
1.2
Lesser Scaup
57%
1.5
Redhead
63%
2.1
Fox Sparrow
41%
2.1
Bufflehead
231%
0.5
Field Sparrow
17%
8.8
Gadwall
29%
3.2
Hermit Thrush
16%
8.5
Ring-necked Duck
31%
2.3
Pied-billed Grebe
17%
8.9
Red-necked Grebe
71%
0.7
Western Kingbird
135%
0.2
Canvasback
122%
0.4
Red-winged Blackbird
8%
24.8
White-throated Sparrow
8%
33.2
American Wigeon
19%
3.8
Snow Bunting
366%
0.1
Wilson's Snipe
16%
2.7
Northern Harrier
14%
6.6
Green-winged Teal
13%
7.1
Short-eared Owl
158%
0.1
Decreasing
Species
Decrease from Last Week
% of Checklists Reporting
Chimney Swift
-64%
3.8
American Redstart
-77%
0.8
Black-throated Green Warbler
-62%
2.3
Eastern Wood-Pewee
-80%
0.6
Black-and-white Warbler
-78%
0.6
Magnolia Warbler
-67%
1.1
Tennessee Warbler
-60%
1.6
Common Yellowthroat
-50%
7.1
Scarlet Tanager
-83%
0.2
Gray Catbird
-40%
16.3
Black-throated Blue Warbler
-55%
2.2
Swainson's Thrush
-55%
1.6
Rose-breasted Grosbeak
-71%
0.5
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
-76%
0.5
House Wren
-47%
3.6
Northern Parula
-55%
1.7
Indigo Bunting
-48%
3
Gray-cheeked Thrush
-76%
0.2
Wood Thrush
-90%
0.1
Eastern Phoebe
-29%
17.9
Nashville Warbler
-41%
2.8
Red-eyed Vireo
-61%
1.3
Cape May Warbler
-64%
0.7
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
-36%
6.9
Northern Rough-winged Swallow
-52%
0.8
American Wigeon, Ryan Schain
Gulf Coast and Southeast
Moderate to very heavy flights occurred across the region during the period. These movements occurred in several waves, but much of the region participate in the action and experienced excellent migration nights. The pulses of favorable conditions moved in two to three waves through the southeast, alternating with locally unfavorable conditions where migration was minimal. By the end of the period, movements were increasingly restricted to coastal areas from the Carolinas into Florida and west along the Gulf Coast through Texas.
Top Movers
Increasing
Species
Increase from Last Week
% of Checklists Reporting
White-throated Sparrow
339%
4
Swamp Sparrow
309%
5.2
Yellow-rumped Warbler
134%
8.5
American Coot
68%
10.3
Lincoln's Sparrow
95%
5
Savannah Sparrow
89%
5.2
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
45%
10.3
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
48%
14.9
Palm Warbler
38%
21.5
Eastern Phoebe
37%
32.3
Song Sparrow
44%
8
White-crowned Sparrow
287%
1.3
American Wigeon
181%
1.5
Pied-billed Grebe
39%
16.1
House Wren
37%
10.5
Golden-crowned Kinglet
89%
2
Greater White-fronted Goose
1949%
0.7
Chipping Sparrow
47%
6.6
Eastern Meadowlark
65%
4.7
Northern Flicker
18%
24.9
Blue-headed Vireo
53%
3.6
Gadwall
163%
1
Vesper Sparrow
178%
0.7
Redhead
150%
1
Decreasing
Species
Decrease from Last Week
% of Checklists Reporting
Philadelphia Vireo
-74%
0.2
Chimney Swift
-29%
7.8
Wilson's Warbler
-52%
0.9
Golden-winged Warbler
-75%
0.1
Veery
-55%
0.5
Chestnut-sided Warbler
-43%
1.9
Eastern Kingbird
-82%
0.1
Yellow Warbler
-36%
1.8
Broad-winged Hawk
-32%
1.5
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
-21%
11
Roseate Spoonbill
-22%
3.5
Bobolink
-48%
0.8
Cattle Egret
-16%
6.4
Cliff Swallow
-41%
0.4
Mississippi Kite
-88%
0
Wood Thrush
-29%
2.4
Burrowing Owl
-73%
0
Bell's Vireo
-73%
0
Rose-breasted Grosbeak
-25%
4.3
Least Flycatcher
-53%
0.2
Common Raven
-27%
1
Northern Waterthrush
-24%
1.8
Yellow-breasted Chat
-51%
0.2
Green Heron
-18%
5.1
Savannah Sparrow, Ryan Schain
Great Plains
No extensive intense flights occurred at the regional scale during this period. However, northern, central, and southern Plains’ locations each experienced pulses of moderate flights. The most extensive occurred in the southern Plains to kick off last weekend, followed on Sunday night by similarly intense flights in the central Plains. Monday night saw the most extensive of the region’s flight for the week, with light to moderate flights in the north and moderate flights in the central and southern Plains. As similarly extensive but less intense movement ended the period on Thursday night.
Top Movers
Increasing
Species
Increase from Last Week
% of Checklists Reporting
Le Conte's Sparrow
164%
9.2
Nelson's Sparrow
308%
5.2
Song Sparrow
111%
23.4
Harris's Sparrow
59%
12
Savannah Sparrow
48%
18.1
Bonaparte's Gull
501%
2
Ring-necked Duck
397%
3.1
Horned Grebe
359%
3
Redhead
98%
6.6
Northern Pintail
72%
7.9
American Wigeon
82%
5.8
Swamp Sparrow
47%
9.6
Pine Siskin
57%
7.3
Dark-eyed Junco
30%
22.4
Sandhill Crane
94%
2.1
White-crowned Sparrow
35%
13.2
Franklin's Gull
31%
24
Field Sparrow
43%
9.4
American Coot
26%
22.6
Ring-billed Gull
32%
18.3
Western Meadowlark
31%
13.6
Eastern Meadowlark
28%
14.1
Northern Saw-whet Owl
134%
0.8
Decreasing
Species
Decrease from Last Week
% of Checklists Reporting
Peregrine Falcon
-100%
0
Summer Tanager
-97%
0
Indigo Bunting
-81%
0.7
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
-96%
0.1
Snowy Egret
-79%
0.9
Chimney Swift
-65%
3.1
Nashville Warbler
-59%
4.1
Gray Catbird
-61%
2.7
Broad-winged Hawk
-100%
0
Purple Finch
-75%
0.5
Rose-breasted Grosbeak
-95%
0
Blue-headed Vireo
-57%
1.2
American Bittern
-83%
0.2
Spotted Sandpiper
-95%
0
Brown Thrasher
-35%
4.5
Hairy Woodpecker
-27%
9
Barn Swallow
-35%
5.8
Tennessee Warbler
-54%
1.1
Eastern Phoebe
-21%
13.2
House Wren
-26%
7.2
Common Nighthawk
-47%
1.3
Cedar Waxwing
-22%
7
Bufflehead, Ryan Schain
West
Light to moderate flights were scattered across the west last weekend. Additionally, a local flight in the Pacific Northwest on Tuesday night that reached moderate to locally heavy intensities was a bright spot in what was otherwise a mostly quiet remainder of the period across the region. Note that some areas of the southern Rockies saw more intense flights, in some places moderate to locally heavy, particularly last weekend and to end the period on Thursday night.