May 28th, 2015 (+ Recap for 26th & 27th)

Migration 5/26

Migration 5/27

First and foremost, I apologize for unexpectedly missing these past 2 days. Luckily, if I was to choose a convenient time to omit reports, the 26th and 27th would be good days. Very little has been moving for the past 2 days, with light to negligible migration on the night of the 26th, and light migration on the 27th. In both of these cases, conditions were essentially consistent throughout the state. So, overall, spring migration has been very calm indeed for the past two days.

Tonight, things are picking up as much as migration can in late May. Direct, southerly tailwinds have given way to light migration, with some moderate concentrations occurring overhead in Southern Illinois (see or click image to the right). Regardless of where you are in the Prairie State, some influxes should be visible tomorrow. Like in the case of today's cooperative Connecticut Warbler, these influxes will be most apparent in those more sought after species that pop up here or there. Other than that, we should be noticing an exodus of migrants now more than anything else. Which migrants are exiting? Great question! Check this eBird Page for Illinois specific answers, and the latest BirdCast National Forecast for a regional perspective.

Tonight's winds. Click to
view live.

Looking ahead into the forecast, it appears May will conclude quietly, with very little likely to migrate this weekend. Southerly winds are forecast to continue through tomorrow night in all Illinois regions except northwestern IL. After that, a front is set to expand into the state, ushering unfavorable headwinds with it. By the end of Saturday, the whole state will be ensconced in powerful northerly winds, conditions set to last at least the Sunday night. Once we get into June, winds are set to become easterly. I will detail this forecast more in tomorrow's report.

Because these unfavorable conditions are forecast for the weekend, I've decided to make tomorrow night the last of my daily reports for this spring. As you all have noted, peak spring migration has surely come to a close; anything visible on the radar from here until fall is unlikely to exceed light concentrations. For that reason, there's not too much migration left to report on! I will share more concluding remarks tomorrow, as in studying nature, reflection is always key.

For tonight, though, I bid you all adieu and good birding!

Wind forecast for midnight on May 30th