Golden-crowned Kinglet. Joe Wing/Macaulay Library. eBird S39495328.

Continental Summary

Moderate flights that featured Snow Goose, Greater Scaup, Eared Grebe, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Hermit Thrush, and Golden-crowned Sparrow were the norm in many areas of the West this week, while several pulses of heavy flights occurred in the East and featured Ruddy Duck, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Rusty Blackbird, Fox Sparrow, Swamp Sparrow, Harris’s Sparrow, and Purple Finch.

Curious what birds will move next? Check out our forecast.

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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

Moderate to heavy flights spread across the region on Friday and Saturday nights, first in the Great Lakes and Ohio River Valley, then in the Appalachians and portions of the coastal plain. By Sunday and Monday flights were significantly less intense and restricted almost exclusively to coastal locations. With the arrival of a new frontal system through the western Great Lakes, moderate to very heavy flights also arrived in the Upper Mississippi River Valley on Tuesday night. These movements spread to the east on Wednesday night as the front bowed across the northern tier states. By Thursday night as the front dissociated, a patchwork of light to locally heavy movements and precipitation occurred across the region. Note that where skies were clear to the north and west of the region, some very heavy movements occurred.

Top Movers

[expand title=”Increasing” tag=”h3″]
[table sort=”,desc” tablesorter=”true”]
Species,Increase from Last Week[attr style=”color:green”],% of Checklists Reporting

Golden-crowned Kinglet,86%,13.6
Yellow-rumped Warbler,67%,28
White-crowned Sparrow,101%,9
Swamp Sparrow,63%,14.8
Hermit Thrush,120%,4.3
White-throated Sparrow,53%,23.5
Ruddy Duck,166%,2.3
Ruby-crowned Kinglet,47%,23.9
Dark-eyed Junco,80%,6.4
Rusty Blackbird,114%,2.3
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker,53%,11.7
Red-winged Blackbird,34%,20.7
Song Sparrow,24%,36.4
Winter Wren,65%,3.7
Brown Creeper,58%,4.5
Fox Sparrow,171%,0.9
Lincoln’s Sparrow,34%,7.2
House Finch,18%,21.8
Ring-necked Duck,91%,1
American Wigeon,63%,2.6
Savannah Sparrow,26%,8.8
Brown-headed Cowbird,36%,4.2
American Robin,11%,46.1
Nelson’s Sparrow,74%,1
American Tree Sparrow,218%,0.1

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[expand title=”Decreasing” tag=”h3″]
[table sort=”,asc” tablesorter=”true”]
Species,Decrease from Last Week[attr style=”color:red”],% of Checklists Reporting

American Redstart,-57%,4.3
Rose-breasted Grosbeak,-59%,2.1
Black-and-white Warbler,-54%,3.3
Green Heron,-70%,0.9
Broad-winged Hawk,-65%,1
Philadelphia Vireo,-71%,0.6
Chestnut-sided Warbler,-77%,0.6
Magnolia Warbler,-44%,5.6
Eastern Wood-Pewee,-50%,3.4
Red-eyed Vireo,-46%,4.6
Yellow-throated Vireo,-89%,0.1
Northern Parula,-40%,4.9
Wilson’s Warbler,-78%,0.3
Scarlet Tanager,-49%,2
Ruby-throated Hummingbird,-48%,2.5
Common Tern,-68%,0.5
Swainson’s Thrush,-34%,4.4
Bay-breasted Warbler,-50%,1.4
Gray Catbird,-16%,30.9
Osprey,-32%,5.1
Blackpoll Warbler,-37%,2.9
Brown Thrasher,-31%,4.1
House Wren,-20%,8.9
Nashville Warbler,-27%,4.4
Blackburnian Warbler,-63%,0.5

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Marsh Wren. Martin Wall/Macaulay Library. eBird S39579244.

Gulf Coast and Southeast

Moderate to very heavy flights graced the region for the weekend, becoming gradually less intense and significantly less extensive by Sunday night. By the beginning of the work week, most movement occurred to the east of the Mississippi River, though some of these flights were locally heavy. Tuesday saw a gradual increase in the extent of flights, with similarly intense movements in the southeast but new moderate to locally heavy flights in Texas. This increase continued through the remainder of the period, as moderate and locally heavy flights became more widespread.

Top Movers

[expand title=”Increasing” tag=”h3″]
[table sort=”,desc” tablesorter=”true”]
Species,Increase from Last Week[attr style=”color:green”],% of Checklists Reporting

Northern Flicker,45%,19.3
Ruby-crowned Kinglet,64%,6.1
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker,117%,2.3
Yellow-rumped Warbler,99%,2.2
Gray Catbird,23%,24
Palm Warbler,27%,12
Eastern Phoebe,21%,22.2
House Wren,39%,5.9
American Robin,17%,14.2
Eastern Bluebird,14%,20.4
Swamp Sparrow,181%,0.6
Royal Tern,20%,6.7
House Finch,14%,18.4
Green-winged Teal,58%,1
Turkey Vulture,9%,29.2
Red-winged Blackbird,12%,10.9
American Kestrel,13%,6.9
Savannah Sparrow,45%,0.8
American Crow,6%,35.9
American Coot,20%,2.6
Mallard,16%,6.2
Indigo Bunting,11%,7.7
American White Pelican,24%,1.8
Marsh Wren,32%,1.3

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[expand title=”Decreasing” tag=”h3″]
[table sort=”,asc” tablesorter=”true”]
Species,Decrease from Last Week[attr style=”color:red”],% of Checklists Reporting

Ruby-throated Hummingbird,-34%,14.1
Baltimore Oriole,-60%,1.3
Green Heron,-47%,3.1
Great Crested Flycatcher,-65%,0.8
Wilson’s Warbler,-42%,2.1
Yellow Warbler,-34%,4.3
Eastern Kingbird,-73%,0.4
White-eyed Vireo,-24%,16.1
Summer Tanager,-31%,6.2
Broad-winged Hawk,-50%,1
Yellow-throated Vireo,-37%,2.2
Barn Swallow,-33%,5.9
Red-eyed Vireo,-25%,10.9
Canada Warbler,-60%,0.4
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher,-18%,19.7
Eastern Wood-Pewee,-19%,9.2
Least Flycatcher,-53%,0.5
Cattle Egret,-20%,5.1
Prothonotary Warbler,-79%,0.1
Mississippi Kite,-88%,0.1
Olive-sided Flycatcher,-80%,0.1
Chimney Swift,-13%,12.4
Yellow-bellied Flycatcher,-99%,0
Northern Waterthrush,-26%,1.9

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Harris’s Sparrow. Stollery & Flood/Macaulay Library. eBird S39522997.

Great Plains

A slow start to the weekend saw locally light and moderate movements on the eastern and western fringes of the region. But more intense flights arrive on Sunday night with the passage of a significantly low pressure evener through the central Plains. As this system organized and eventually passed on Monday and Tuesday, moderate and heavy movements became increasingly more widespread. However, Wednesday and Thursday saw more restricted flights, with moderate to locally heavy movements in the northern Plains and locally light to moderate flights to their south.

Top Movers

[expand title=”Increasing” tag=”h3″]
[table sort=”,desc” tablesorter=”true”]
Species,Increase from Last Week[attr style=”color:green”],% of Checklists Reporting

Swamp Sparrow,148%,5.4
Dark-eyed Junco,79%,7
White-crowned Sparrow,64%,8.6
Spotted Towhee,79%,7
American Wigeon,96%,4.8
Yellow-rumped Warbler,39%,23.1
Song Sparrow,53%,8.1
Double-crested Cormorant,31%,17.4
Harris’s Sparrow,62%,5.4
Herring Gull,174%,1.4
Redhead,63%,4
Lincoln’s Sparrow,39%,10
Ruby-crowned Kinglet,28%,20.1
Green-winged Teal,47%,5.5
Field Sparrow,60%,4.3
Gadwall,52%,4.8
Savannah Sparrow,34%,8.3
American Coot,25%,14.3
White-throated Sparrow,32%,8.3
Ring-necked Duck,68%,2
Bonaparte’s Gull,111%,1.3
Western Meadowlark,28%,13.1
Purple Finch,186%,0.9
Canvasback,66%,1.7
Western Wood-Pewee,103%,1.3

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[expand title=”Decreasing” tag=”h3″]
[table sort=”,asc” tablesorter=”true”]
Species,Decrease from Last Week[attr style=”color:red”],% of Checklists Reporting

Northern Parula,-92%,0.2
Brown Thrasher,-45%,5.8
Ruby-throated Hummingbird,-53%,3.5
Eastern Wood-Pewee,-69%,1.2
Yellow-billed Cuckoo,-89%,0.2
Gray Catbird,-37%,7.2
Red-headed Woodpecker,-45%,4.1
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher,-83%,0.4
Red-eyed Vireo,-68%,1
Least Flycatcher,-74%,0.7
Yellow Warbler,-92%,0.1
Snowy Egret,-59%,1.4
White-eyed Vireo,-90%,0.1
Spotted Sandpiper,-95%,0.1
Great Egret,-23%,10.3
Warbling Vireo,-70%,0.7
Rose-breasted Grosbeak,-84%,0.2
American Redstart,-76%,0.4
Mourning Dove,-15%,34.1
Killdeer,-22%,14.9
Broad-winged Hawk,-46%,1.8
Swainson’s Thrush,-78%,0.3
American Kestrel,-20%,11.3

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Varied Thrush. Ryan Merrill/Macaulay Library. eBird S39508864.

West

The intensity and extent of movements gradually increased over the first days of the period, with locally moderate and heavy flights in the Pacific Northwest and the central and southern Rockies by Sunday night. Following these flights, the remainder of the period saw primarily light to moderate flights that never achieved the extents seen on Sunday. These movements were particularly apparent in California and the Desert Southwest, occurring more locally away from these areas.

Top Movers

[expand title=”Increasing” tag=”h3″]
[table sort=”,desc” tablesorter=”true”]
Species,Increase from Last Week[attr style=”color:green”],% of Checklists Reporting

Hermit Thrush,62%,7.2
Golden-crowned Sparrow,38%,17.6
Dark-eyed Junco,28%,27.6
Yellow-rumped Warbler,28%,36.9
Ruby-crowned Kinglet,34%,17.6
Snow Goose,183%,1.2
Pine Siskin,19%,10
White-crowned Sparrow,15%,40.1
Acorn Woodpecker,16%,8.7
Mew Gull,32%,2.1
Eared Grebe,23%,3.8
Northern Mockingbird,13%,12.1
Western Grebe,16%,6
Northern Flicker,9%,37.7
Greater Scaup,69%,0.7
Fox Sparrow,12%,9.1
White-throated Sparrow,39%,1
American Crow,5%,33.2
Greater White-fronted Goose,15%,3.1

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[expand title=”Decreasing” tag=”h3″]
[table sort=”,asc” tablesorter=”true”]
Species,Decrease from Last Week[attr style=”color:red”],% of Checklists Reporting

Western Wood-Pewee,-74%,1
Western Tanager,-49%,3
Vaux’s Swift,-76%,0.7
Barn Swallow,-48%,5.4
Wilson’s Warbler,-37%,6.8
Violet-green Swallow,-68%,1.3
Yellow Warbler,-31%,7.9
Pacific-slope Flycatcher,-46%,1.9
White-faced Ibis,-38%,2
Willow Flycatcher,-73%,0.3
Turkey Vulture,-17%,18.4
MacGillivray’s Warbler,-65%,0.5
Semipalmated Plover,-50%,0.9
Common Yellowthroat,-19%,9
Warbling Vireo,-35%,2.6
Swainson’s Thrush,-62%,0.4
Black-headed Grosbeak,-71%,0.3
Orange-crowned Warbler,-18%,13.9
Black-chinned Hummingbird,-44%,1.2
Western Sandpiper,-31%,2.5
Cassin’s Vireo,-49%,0.6
Killdeer,-12%,15.4
Lesser Yellowlegs,-42%,0.9
White-throated Swift,-42%,0.9
Greater Yellowlegs,-17%,5.8

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Farnsworth and Van Doren