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| Paltry migration tonight. Note slightly more blue in S IL |
As predicted last night, today was indeed witness to some notable arrivals and influxes. Birds like Golden-crowned Kinglets, Fox Sparrows, Northern Flickers, and Eastern Phoebes continue to file into the Prairie State. Meanwhile, diving duck species, the last of the rare gulls, and winter sparrow species continue to file out quietly. Other notable arrivals today include Caspian Terns, American White Pelicans, Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers, Northern Rough-winged Swallows, and even some warblers. So overall, today was a good day to be out there, and it can only get better from here.
Though every day is a good day to go birding, tomorrow may be a little less exciting, as tonight will not be nearly as favorable for nocturnal migration as last night. The predicted cold front has passed into Illinois (see left), already covering most of the state with colder temperatures and northerly winds. As such, tonight will definitely be a shorter report; little will show up on the radar for our interpretation.
Let's take a look at each third of the state:
NORTHERN ILLINOIS:
Given the unfavorable northerly winds in Northern Illinois, the story here is pretty short. Less than light concentrations of birds are moving overhead, and thus, we can expect to see little to no influx tomorrow morning.
So, when can we expect favorable conditions again? The wind forecasts place the return of favorable southerly winds on Saturday, which means that Saturday night will probably see some more considerable movement. If you're looking to mark your calendars for the next migrant arrival day, it looks like Sunday morning is our next shot. Until then, I'll keep you posted.
CENTRAL ILLINOIS:
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| Tonight's winds. Note clear boundary between northerly winds in most of the state and southwesterly winds in S IL. Click to view live. |
So, when can we expect favorable conditions again? The wind forecasts place the return of favorable southerly winds on Saturday, which means that Saturday night will probably see some more considerable movement. If you're looking to mark your calendars for the next migrant arrival day, it looks like Sunday morning is our next shot. Until then, I'll keep you posted.
SOUTHERN ILLINOIS:
Southern Illinois, as is often the case, is the exception to the rule tonight. The cold front mentioned yesterday did indeed extend southward and then stop, leaving Southern Illinois in the realm of southerly winds. For that reason, Southern Illinois is witness to light migration right now (59-71 birds per cubic kilometer of sky), and in areas where storm activity clears up, it will probably become moderate (227-1788 birds per cubic kilometer of sky). This is exciting for two reasons. First, this means there may again be notable arrivals and influxes tomorrow morning. Second, if winds remain southerly through tomorrow night as well, there may be a noticeable accumulation of migrants in Southern Illinois. Basically, you can't go wrong birding in Southern Illinois right now.
Unfortunately, it appears that the northerly winds will indeed surpass Southern Illinois, doing so by tomorrow afternoon. After that, it may take until Saturday night or even Sunday for winds to become southerly again. I'll keep you posted.
So that's that. In case there's any lingering curiosity about which birds you might encounter out there, check out this page of eBird bar charts, which shows bird frequencies in Illinois for the entire year.
With that, I will bid thee ado for the night. I'll be right there with you all looking forward to Saturday night, when birds will again have favorable southerly tailwinds in most of the state.
Good birding!
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| This is tonight's migration in the southeastern states, where winds are southerly and favorable. A reminder of all the birds that will soon be headed our way. Here's to that. |
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