Published: 04/07/2021

Dear Journey North Readers,

Birds are on the move! The cold fronts I mentioned last week shut down migration for a few days. But by the start of this week, winds shifted to the south and allowed birds to head north again. Birders along the Alabama coast have seen 11 species of warblers and plenty of Red-eyed Vireos. Here in Tennessee, I have seen an increase in species as well. I saw my first Yellow-throated Vireos, Yellow-throated Warblers, Black-throated-green Warblers, and Northern Parulas. Good flying weather is helping birds make it as far north as Pennsylvania and Ohio. Birders in these areas are reporting their first Yellow-throated Warblers, Louisiana Waterthrushes, and Blue-headed Vireos.

Conditions are also good out west. Like in the east, good flying weather allowed many species to make progress. There has been a steady stream of migrating birds coming through. Western Kingbirds continue to be common in Arizona and California. And the first Black-chinned Hummingbirds, Vaux’s Swifts, and Hooded Orioles were also seen. Orange-crowned Warblers made it to Oregon, and Tree Swallows arrived in Nevada.

How does the coming week look? If you look at the weather map, there is another round of cold fronts moving across the country. These fronts are going to bring a lot of rain, especially when they reach the Gulf Coast and tap into all the moisture. Luckily, there is not a lot of cold air behind them. This means that while birds will be grounded by the rain for the next 2-3 days, they will be able to start flying again once the skies clear.

More and more birds will be arriving in the next few weeks. Make sure you get outside and check it out! Take care.

David Aborn