Migration was hot last night from sea to shining sea, the only exception being right under the strong low pressure system across the Missouri/Kentucky area. The radar showed strong trans-gulf migration yesterday afternoon followed by heavy nocturnal migration from the Caribbean to New England, and west to the Pacific Ocean. Good stuff! Spring has SPRUNG!!!

It might be easier to discuss where migration didn’t occur last night rather than where it did, given how widespread it was over the country. High pressure over New England, the Ohio Valley and the Great Basin kept birds down last night, while a series of low pressure systems and associated fronts triggered migration along both coasts and especially up the Central Flyway into the Upper Midwest.

As the latest cold front pushed east to the Atlantic, migration was heaviest right along the Eastern Seaboard. Southerly flow over the Florida Straits and Gulf of Mexico also brought a pulse of Caribbean, Trans-Gulf and Circum-Gulf migrants into the Lower 48 last night. Migration continued on the Left Coast as well, with heavy radar returns evident from the Desert Southwest, Great Basin, and Central Valley of California up through the Pacific Northwest. High pressure across the Great Plains and Midwest, however, kept most grounded over the region last night.

Migration continued across the Eastern US in advance of the latest frontal boundary. Heaviest migration was apparent over northern Florida, throughout the Southeastern US, the Texas Gulf Coast and up the Pacific Coast of California. Migration was evident as far northwest as Oregon and Washington. Those areas immediately behind the front experienced little to no northbound movement, as these areas are typically under strong northwesterly wind and/or heavy precipitation. Interestingly, the radar did indicate some southbound movement over Wisconsin and northern Iowa suggesting a bit of reverse migration (see below for details).