This week’s species on the move discussion highlights some advanced arrivals gleaned from this past weekend’s eBird reports.
Northern Parula is being reported with greater frequency than the 10-year average for this date in the Great Plains and Upper Midwest and Northeast. This is particularly true in the Great Plains, where a huge spike in reports came over the weekend.
Hermit Warbler is also ahead of schedule, in line with other species that are moving ahead of 10-year average arrivals, with a recent pulse of reports in the West rivaling expected frequencies of 19-23 April.
Eastern Kingbird and Orchard Oriole are right on schedule in most areas of the Gulf Coast and Southeast.
However, notice the eBird maps for the kingbird and the oriole. There are some significantly early individuals arriving in New England! Orchard Oriole in Massachusetts on 13 April? See this checklist with a great photo. Eastern Kingbirds in New England on the same date? See this checklist, again, with nice documentation. These early arrivals may be a surprise in light of the slow start to this spring, but favorable conditions (e.g. southerly winds) in the past days accelerated the pace of some species’ movements.
