May 7th, 2014

Tonight's exciting Surface Analysis

Evening everyone!

Everything is happening as predicted...the northbound warm front has passed through Illinois, just now moving out of the northern edge of the state. In its wake, as pointed out astutely by Robert Hughes on IBF, are powerful southerly winds coming all the way up from the Gulf of Mexico. Needless to say, we should witness migration tonight at a scale we haven't seen yet this year. Migration on the radar is already on the high end of moderate, and concentrations are increasing with every update of the image. Keep an eye on this on the right sidebar.

As the state is entirely engulfed by southerly winds, there's not

much point in dividing the report up by region! Throughout the state tonight, we should expect heavy migration, peaking in concentrations just after midnight. I would not be surprised if some areas were host to almost 2,000 birds per cubic kilometer above our heads...if it's overcast in your area, tonight may be a great time to listen for nocturnal flight calls, if you'll be up that late. Tonight may mark the first big passage of Swainson's Thrush, so listening for that may provide results. All said, everything is in our (and the migrants') favor tonight, and tomorrow should be spectacular in migrants traps like the lakefront. So get out there!

Migration at the time of this post
Moderate now, heavy soon.

These incredibly favorable conditions should last through tomorrow night, but by Friday morning, a cold front is forecast to pass through from the Northwest (48-hour Surface Analysis Forecast). This front will bring much less favorable WNW winds. These will first dominate Northern Illinois, then Central Illinois, and finally Southern Illinois by Friday night, and moving with this cold front will be a long line of storm systems. So, Friday morning will probably see lots of influx if you're willing to bird in the rain. The timing of this, of course, depends on where you are; we'll just have to wait and see!

48-hour Surface Analysis

Curious what birds you'll find? Check eBird for that valuable information.

Thats all for now, folks! Au revoir and good birding!