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Winter Wren, © Ryan Schain.

Continental Summary

The West will see light to moderate flights, particularly in more northern reaches, featuring Eared Grebe, Cooper’s Hawk, Red-tailed Hawk, Say’s Phoebe, Townsend’s Warbler, Brewer’s Blackbird, and Lincoln’s Sparrow, while moderate to very heavy mid to late week flights featuring Turkey Vulture, Wilson’s Snipe, Northern Flicker, Blue Jay, Black-and-white Warbler, Pine Warbler, Eastern Meadowlark, Indigo Bunting, and Field Sparrow come to the East.

Wondering what species are migrating through right now? Check out our analysis for the past 7 days.

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.

We use data collected by eBird users help make more accurate forecasts. If you enjoy the predictions contained in these posts, please consider submitting your own bird sightings to eBird to even further improve the content. Every observation counts, whether it be a single bird at a feeder in your backyard, or an entire day spent in a national park. To get started with eBird, head on over to the site!

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

Scattered and local moderate flights will be apparent across the region from the weekend through the early part of the work week as primarily southerly flow and high pressure continues to dominate. Although a disturbance passes off the Atlantic coast on Monday and Tuesday, bringing some potential for higher intensity coastal flights, a frontal boundary moving through the Upper Midwest is the primary instrument of change. Following this passage, moderate to very heavy flights will occur, first on Tuesday in the Upper Midwest and Great Lakes and then on Wednesday for most of the remainder of the region. Although southerly flow builds behind this passage event, some portions of the region, most notably along the coast, will continue to see moderate to heavy movements through the end of the week.

Field Sparrow, © Ian Davies

Species on the Move

Beginning Arrivals What is this?

Peaking Arrivals

Beginning Departures

Ending Departures

Gulf Coast and Southeast

Moderate to locally heavy flights will begin the weekend in many areas. However, these intensities will not last, as unfavorable conditions building gradually into the region quite the migration scene substantially. Changes come by Wednesday, when more favorable northerly winds and slightly cooler temperatures return, bringing a new pulse of moderate to very heavy flights from Texas through the southern Appalachians. The intensity of these flights continues through the remainder of the period, but in an increasingly localized area of the Southeast. Some areas of the Florida Panhandle north and east through the Carolinas may continue to experience very heavy flights during these movements (offering potentially good opportunities for moon watching!).

Pine Warbler, © Luke Seitz.

Beginning Arrivals What is this?

Peaking Arrivals

Beginning Departures

Ending Departures

Great Plains

A quiet weekend of light to locally moderate movements yields to much more exciting movements by Monday night. A frontal boundary pushing across the region will bring moderate to very heavy flights in the northern Plains on Monday night, then more broadly to the region on Tuesday night. Following this intense and extensive pulse, conditions will be at best locally marginal on some nights for the remainder of the period. Where and when these conditions occur will determine where and when movements of light to moderate intensity follow.

Le Conte’s Sparrow, © Luke Seitz.

Species on the Move

Beginning Arrivals What is this?

Peaking Arrivals

Beginning Departures

Ending Departures

West

Moderate flights kick off the weekend from California north along the Pacific Coast and across the northern tier states. These will continue, and expand to additional areas of the Desert Southwest and the Rockies through Monday night. More marginal conditions, with less intense movements, follow on Tuesday and Wednesday. But moderate flights will return to many areas by Wednesday and Thursday nights, including in the Pacific Northwest and northern Rockies and California and the Great Basin, respectively.

Varied Thrush, © Ryan Schain.

Species on the Move

Beginning Arrivals What is this?

Peaking Arrivals

Beginning Departures

Ending Departures

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Farnsworth and Van Doren