Yellow-billed Cuckoo is a long-distance Neotropical migrant and tends to be a later and stealthier arrival. Look for the presence of tent caterpillars, a favored food source.

Recent meteorological reports suggest weather patterns have created favorable conditions for large movements of migrating birds across the Midwest. Migration has been somewhat suppressed in the first week of May due to northerly winds and mostly unfavorable conditions for migrants moving northward, but starting within the next couple of days, migration may dramatically ramp up.

Two nights ago, 667 million birds migrated across the country, according to BirdCast, propelled by southerly winds, with 342 million birds in the air last night. Meteorologists like Ross Ellet of ABC 13 in Toledo, Ohio, were surprised to see that lots of birds were avoiding headwinds by migrating at a higher altitude, around 3,000 feet, rather than their more normal range of 1,500 to 2,000 feet.

Importantly, weather forecasts over the next few days indicate northerly winds and some colder temperatures are anticipated to slow migration progress in the Midwest and Northeast, so birds arriving now will be sticking around and amassing. When there are northerly winds, winds that blow from north to south, northbound birds are likely to pause because migration becomes too exhausting and dangerous, so they fuel up instead while awaiting more favorable conditions. Some incredible birding days may be just up ahead.

As many birders realize, the Biggest Week in American Birding has just begun, so the timing seems fortuitous. Earlier migrants like Hermit Thrush and Yellow-rumped Warbler have likely begun clearing out of many famous migrant traps, with Neotropical migrants like Swainson’s Thrush, Tennessee Warbler, Baltimore Oriole, and many others beginning to arrive in force.

Dickcissel

Dickcissel peak migration movement occurs in mid- to late May. With southerly winds and other favorable weather conditions, Dickcissels can have large overnight flights and occasionally appear in unexpected areas.

Least Sandpiper

In spring, many shorebirds, like this Least Sandpiper, overlap in their migration timing with songbirds, so birders interested in both groups need to split their efforts.

Scarlet Tanager

Favorable weather may be pushing many Neotropical migrants, like this Scarlet Tanager, farther north, while incoming northerlies may result in their amassing along the Great Lakes.

Grasshopper Sparrow

Grasshopper Sparrows can respond rapidly to changes in local weather conditions because they migrate relatively shorter distances compared to other migratory songbirds.

The Midwest is famous for its phenomenal migrant traps, especially in spring. Magee Marsh in Ohio, Point Pelee National Park in Ontario, Presque Isle State Park in Pennsylvania, Tawas Point State Park in Michigan, and Montrose Point Bird Sanctuary in Illinois are among the most well known, several of those hosting attendant bird festivals and drawing scores of birders from around the world. Across much of the ABA Area, the first two weeks of May are the most anticipated segments of spring migration, as Neotropical migrants push northward, singing loudly in their bright spring plumage.

A recent social media post by ABC 13 meteorologist Ross Ellet.

Birders anywhere will do well to keep an eye on local weather forecasts, as sudden changes in any given area can affect bird activity and presence. For birders visiting the Midwest, “lake breeze,” a term locals will be familiar with, can be a useful phrase to understand. A lake breeze is a cooler wind coming in from the lake on warmer days, which causes migrating birds to delay their migration because it is difficult to cross the lake when there is a cold wind blowing. The conditions may cause birds to amass along the shoreline, occasionally called “dropping” migrants, or sometimes the birds may even retreat slightly farther inland to forested areas as they shield themselves from the chill of the lake breeze. In short, lake breezes can yield phenomenal birding opportunities.

Meteorologists work with sophisticated and highly sensitive radar, which picks up just about anything that’s in the air, including dust, bugs, and of course birds. The growing popularity of birding has changed the way meteorologists like Ross Ellet report the weather throughout the region, as it has become clear that many weather-watchers want access to the information about bird movements that meteorologists are privy to and previously filtered out of their reports.

BirdCast is a well-known resource for birders, but Ellet adds that the app RadarScope does not filter out radar info, including birds, unlike many other radar apps.

Remember that birders can help migrating birds by turning off unnecessary lights at night to reduce window collisions. Migrants are often exhausted after their immense journeys and can be more approachable than normal, so remember also to practice ethical birding and give birds space to refuel without unneeded stress.

Good luck finding some birds!

Frank Izaguirre is an Editor of Birding magazine. He lives in Pittsburgh, PA, with his wife, Adrienne, and daughter, Maya.