9/20 IL Migration Report

To quote Matthew Cvetas from
Illinois Birders' Forum, BA BAM!

Holy cow, you guys.

The radar just blew my socks off...IL along with much of the midwest is coated with green right now, indicating heavy migration. Per cubic kilometer at flight altitude, there may be up to 2,000 birds migrating southward, taking advantage of northwest winds and heading on south. I hesitate to say this, but I'm not sure IL as a whole has gotten migration as good as tonight's yet this fall migration. The best part is, conditions still have the potential to be even better tomorrow. Keep your eyes on the winds, ladies and gentlemen.

That is, when you get done with keeping your eyes on all the birds tomorrow, which may be a lofty goal. Expect large arrivals and influxes especially of thrushes and warblers as they make their final movements out of the state. Swainson's Thrushes will probably be water-drip-ing from anything plant in some areas, with Gray-cheekeds, Veeries, and even some Hermit Thrushes mixed in. Warbler variety should be decent tomorrow as well, as earlier migrants, like Black-and-White Warbler, are making their last movements out, and later migrants, like Orange-crowned Warbler, are starting to influx. Also expect the arrival of some later migrant passerines like kinglets, Brown Creepers, and sparrows (especially White-throated). But passerines

Winds over some of IL...amazingly,
these aren't as good as they come,
but the migrants are taking what they
can get.

are not the whole story. New herons may be popping up in your local patch. It may be a very productive day at the hawkwatch. An added assortment of waterfowl may start popping up in wet places. And of course shorebirds will be moving as well. Overall, we've got a lot to look forward to tomorrow...maybe even a western vagrant of one sort or another. We shall see, my friends.

Good luck everyone!