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A quiet late season week in the West saw primarily scattered light movements, while a wild post-frontal passage ride of Franklin’s Gulls and Cave Swallows in the Northeast highlighted the period’s primarily localized light to moderate flights.

Light to moderate flights graced many areas from California east through the Rockies and featured Black Tern, Willow Flycatcher, Cordilleran Flycatcher, Gray Catbird, and Bobolink, while pulses of moderate and heavy flights featuring White-rumped Sandpiper, Common Nighthawk, Black-billed Cuckoo, Alder Flycatcher, Bay-breasted Warbler, and Canada Warbler were scattered across the East.

Light to moderate migration, primarily in California and the Desert Southwest early in the period, brought increasing numbers of Bell’s Vireo, Lucy’s Warbler, Yellow Warbler, and Bullock’s Oriole to the West, while slightly more extensive light to moderate movements on Sunday and Monday nights, including Blue-winged Teal, Eastern Phoebe, Blue-headed Vireo, Tree Swallow, and Pine Warbler among other migrants, highlighted the period in the East.

Continental Summary Light to moderate movements were the norm across the West, despite precipitation shutting down migrants in some areas, while moderate to locally heavy movements pulsed through the East. Species on the move this week included Greater White-fronted Goose, Dunlin,…

A busy week of migration featured light to moderate flights across much of the West, featuring Cackling Goose, Dunlin, Black Tern, Vaux’s Swift, Tree Swallow, Black-headed Grosbeak and Fox Sparrow, and heavy flights to begin and end the period in the East, featuring some huge movements of American Redstart among other species such as Broad-winged Hawk, Chimney Swift, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, American Pipit, Palm Warbler, Northern Parula and White-crowned Sparrow.

Continental Summary: Two pulses of movements rushed through the East, as continuing light to moderate movements were steady in the West. Birds on the move this week included Hermit Thrush, Ruby-crowned and Golden-crowned Kinglets, Yellow-rumped Warbler, White-throated Sparrows, and Dark-eyed…

Although early week rain kept most migrants in the West grounded, more favorable midweek conditions spawned light and moderate flights in California and the Desert Southwest; meanwhile, most of the period saw the East experience a dynamic weather scene in which light and moderate flights alternated with precipitation and strong storms.

Continental Summary Light to moderate movements in the West were most evident in the Desert Southwest and California, while strong low pressure passing through the East brought unseasonably cold and unfavorable conditions and kept most moderate movements sparse in space…

Continental Summary: Light to moderate movements occurred across the West, particularly early in the forecast period in California and the Desert Southwest, while a complex stalled front brought light to moderate and even locally heavy movements to many different areas…

Continental Summary The Desert Southwest saw most of the light to moderate action this week in the West, while the East experienced two frontal passage-induced moderate to heavy flights. Species on the move this week included Cackling Goose, Ruddy Duck, Bufflehead, Western Grebe,…

Local light to moderate flights were scattered across the West and feature numerous waterfowl in this late season period, while the pulses of moderate flights in the Great Plains and Southeast featured many species of waterfowl, Turkey Vulture, Bonaparte’s Gull, Eastern Bluebird, Golden-crowned Kinglet, Cedar Waxwing, and Dark-eyed Junco. Please join us throughout the winter for updates and alerts in advance of the first regular spring season forecasts and analyses in March 2018.

Continental Summary Local light to moderate flights were scattered across the West and feature numerous waterfowl in this late season period, while the pulses of moderate flights in the Great Plains and Southeast featured many species of waterfowl, Turkey Vulture,…