4/26 IL Migration Report

Tonight should be really really good for migration in Illinois, as southerly winds rule the state right now--with the exception of the southern tip of the state, which has easterly winds right now. The southerly winds should bring moderate to heavy migration through much of the state, leaving new arrivals and influxes in its path all over the place. We already experienced the echoes of tonight's movement last night. Warblers, Sparrows (especially LARK SPARROW), and shorebirds have been moving in decent numbers during the past 24 hours, but tonight will be an improvement, with stronger winds flowing directly north over much of the state as opposed to yesterday's weaker, more meandering southerly-ish winds. However, it does appear that the winds will slow down considerably and shift towards the west (southeasterly/easterly winds) between 1 and 4 tomorrow morning , which could put a damper on much of the migration occurring tonight at that point, but up until then, migration will be going strong. Ultimately, tonight more than almost any night so far this year has the potential to make tomorrow a mind-blowing day of spring birding. Oh boy!!

Southerly winds? Oh boy!

To keep this report shorter and sweeter, as I'm

Now...

preparing for a Lake County Big Day tomorrow, here's a great big list of species that could arrive/influx depending on your location: BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT-HERONS, GREEN HERON, BROAD-WINGED HAWK, SORA, VIRGINIA RAIL, COMMON GALLINULE, maybe SEMIPALMATED PLOVERS, PECTORAL, SPOTTED, LEAST, and SOLITARY SANDPIPER, DUNLIN, UPLAND SANDPIPER, WILLET, WILSON'S PHALAROPE, LONG-BILLED DOWITCHER, FORSTER'S TERN, COMMON TERN, COMMON NIGHTHAWK, EASTERN WHIP-POOR-WILL, CHIMNEY SWIFT, RUBY-THROATED HUMMINGBIRD, EASTERN WOOD-PEWEE, LEAST FLYCATCHER, GREAT CRESTED FLYCATCHER, BLUE-HEADED, WHITE-EYED,

1 am wind forecast

Now

WARBLING and RED-EYED VIREO, HOUSE WREN, SEDGE WREN, MARSH WREN, all the expected swallows, all the expected sparrows (especially take note of LE CONTE'S SPARROWS, HENSLOW'S SPARROWS, GRASSHOPPER SPARROWS, and LARK SPARROWS), SWAINSONS'S, GRAY-CHEEKED, and WOOD THRUSHES, warblers including but not limited

to BLUE-WINGED WARBLERS, ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLERS, PRAIRIE WARBLERS, BLACK-THROATED
GREEN WARBLERS, PINE WARBLERS, YELLOW WARBLERS, HOODED WARBLERS, BLACK-AND-WHITE WARBLERS, NORTHERN PARULAS, LOUISIANA + NORTHERN WATERTHRUSHES, WORM-EATING WARBLERS, COMMON YELLOWTHROATS,

1 am wind forecast

SCARLET and SUMMER TANAGERS, ORCHARD and BALTIMORE ORIOLES, BREWER'S, RUSTY, and YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRDS, INDIGO BUNTINGS, and possibly early DICKCISSELS or BOBOLINKS. And with migration, there are always chances of early overshoots and vagrants too.

Awesome. Go get 'em, birders.