Late summer and early fall mark the time when birders in western North America start turning up records of montane birds moving into non-breeding habitats and descending into nearby lowlands. Fall of 2026 is shaping up to be another invasion season for a few montane species, especially a couple corvids, which are engaging in widespread movements. Here, three montane species are highlighted, a few others are mentioned, and we encourage you to provide details and documentation when observing wandering birds. For a brief primer on the basics of montane bird invasions, check out this previous Field Ornithology article.
Clark’s Nutcracker
This fall, Clark’s Nutcrackers have made widespread movements out of their preferred high-elevation montane breeding grounds into lower elevations. Moving both elevationally and geographically, they are showing up in mountains over much of the western U.S. and far beyond. New Mexico has seen records throughout most of its southern mountains, including two birds at Grindstone Lake in the Sierra Blanca Mountains, Lincoln Co. on 13 Sep. In Arizona, birds are also showing up across the Mogollon Rim and in the sky islands; included is a well-described record of two birds from Rustler Park, Cochise Co on 13 Sep. Beyond the southwestern U.S., nutcrackers have been well documented in the Badlands of South Dakota and in western Nebraska.
Sightings haven’t been limited to the mountains, though. Well east of the Rocky Mountain Front, in the panhandle of Oklahoma, 23 individuals were documented at Black Mesa State Park, Cimarron Co on 8 Sep, and a single bird was photographed in Sherman Co, Kansas on 16 Sep. Exceptional lowland records from the Midwest have also been well documented over the last several weeks. These include numerous birds in Iowa: Story Co 20–23 Aug, Cerro Gordo Co on 12 Sep, and Franklin Co on 15 Sep.
This exceptional Story Co, Iowa record of Clark’s Nutcracker, found and reported by Sierra McGonigal on 20 Aug 2026, set off a firestorm of sightings in the area over the next few days.
Minnesota and Wisconsin hosted single birds over the same span of dates. One was in Wright Co, Minnesota 17–19 Sep, and the other was in Bayfield Co, Wisconsin 17–18 Sep.
In Manitoba, records came in from Central Manitoba–Central Plains Co, where a single bird was present 3 Sep; from Flin Flon and North West County, where two birds were documented on 7 Sep; and Dauphin Co, where two birds were present 16–17 Sep.
Rounding out the impressive records of Clark’s Nutcrackers in unexpected places this fall come a handful of observations from California: a mind-blowing pelagic record about 30 mi. southwest of Point Arena in Mendocino Co on 18 Sep, seven birds on Santa Cruz I., Santa Barbara Co on 21 Sep, and 10 birds in San Diego Co on 13 Sep. Sizeable flocks are even being reported in urban San Francisco, where at least 31 were tallied on 18 Sep.
Pinyon Jay
Pinyon Jay wanders widely and regularly experiences years of large irruptive movements. It can show up both higher and lower in elevation than where its namesake piñon-juniper habitat grows. So far this season, Texas has benefited from this irruption. Two well documented observations come from El Paso Co, where at least three individuals were at Franklin Mountains State Park on 9 Sep. One checklist included recordings, while the other featured photos showing a rare scene: a Pinyon Jay perched on ocotillo (Fouqueria splendens).
Texas occasionally benefits from irruption years, when montane species occasionally show up in western Texas and on the Edwards Plateau. This documentation of Pinyon Jays in El Paso Co, Texas was the state’s first for fall 2026 and contains excellent details and documentation supporting the observation. Details like these are great to include with sightings even when out of habitat species do not flag on eBird checklists.
While there haven’t yet been as many sightings as in the large invasion of 2022, birds are already showing up in places such as Guadalupe Canyon, Hidalgo Co, New Mexico—nearly in Mexico. Notably, this species also is making a push westward. A well-documented flock of varying size—up to 117 individuals—was first noted in San Diego Co on 29 Aug and continued at least through 21 Sep.
More sightings from San Bernardino, Los Angeles, and Santa Barbara Cos. add to southern California records this season, and the first for Baja California this season was on 13 Sep in Ensenada. More are likely to come!
Lewis’s Woodpecker
This short-distance migrant makes annual movements south and west of their intermountain west breeding range, but not in equal numbers each year. Some years, movements are limited and patchy with other years bringing more widespread sightings. This year is shaping up to be the latter with strong early movements throughout the Rio Grande Valley in central New Mexico (Bernalillo, Valencia, and Socorro Cos). Southeast Arizona had a few early records with one bird seen at Ramsey Canyon Preserve, Cochise Co on 15 Aug and two more observed on Mt. Lemmon, Pima Co on 9 Sep.
Birders in southern Arizona, southern New Mexico, and northern Mexico should be on the lookout for these birds appearing in interesting locales this fall and document unusual sightings with additional details.
Additional Movements
Other montane species that have been making noticeable movements out of primary habitats include Mountain Chickadee, Pine Siskin, Evening Grosbeak, and Red-breasted Nuthatch. On 14 Sep, a single bird of the latter species was photographed in Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, and three were tallied in Ensenada, Baja California. Red-breasted Nuthatch is always an exciting find in Mexico.
These are all classic irruptive montane species and can be expected to move to some degree each year, though movements are often more regional/local. Interestingly, immense concentrations of the first two species have been noted at montane springs in central New Mexico.
In Albuquerque, New Mexico, a strong push of Woodhouse’s Scrub-Jays into the Rio Grande Valley is being observed. This movement is rivaling any others in recent memory and is backed up by some locally gathered scientific data. Rio Grande Bird Research has a dataset spanning over thirty years of fall migration banding data, and over that time, has banded more Woodhouse’s Scrub-Jays in a single year only once (ten individuals in 2022 to this year’s nine), and half of the banding seasons still remains. Interestingly, there have been no recaptures or resightings of banded birds, suggesting continual movement of scrub-jays through the area.
A Plea for Documentation
Because many of these species are regularly observed in primary habitats within the counties where out-of habitat sightings occur, they often do not “flag” as rare in eBird. This is where birding knowledge comes in handy! If you encounter one of these out-of-habitat individuals or groups, please consider writing details on observations, even if details are not required. This information helps document trends and provide an additional layer of understanding to these irruptive movements. Noting how individuals were observed, counted, and what they were doing (seen/heard, estimate/exact count, flyover/foraging, etc.) are pertinent details to include as are photos or recordings.
Birders in western North America, and even those in the Great Plains and beyond, should keep a keen eye and ear out for wandering montane species. Clark’s Nutcrackers and Pinyon Jays, especially, provide excellent opportunities for recordings, as their calls can be heard, identified, and oftentimes even recorded at a great distance. Lewis’s Woodpeckers, which are typically silent while wandering, are easily identified at a distance by their unique shape and flight style, even when no plumage details are discernable. All three species should be relatively easy to detect, document, and detail in observations. So get out there and see what montane birds you can document in the lowlands this fall!
Addendum
In the southwestern U.S., birders are noting additional irruptive movements of several non-montane species. These include Painted Bunting (a bird banded 20 Aug at Pahranagat N.W.R. in Lincoln Co, Nevada and a single bird in Larimer Co, Colorado 18 Sep) and Cactus Wren. In the case of the latter, birds have moved into the panhandle of Oklahoma, and up to three birds were observed in Las Animas Co, Colorado 20–23 Aug. With continued drought and extreme heat throughout the breeding ranges of these species in late summer 2026, wandering birds seeking food resources seem to be making their way north—as well as east and west—of their normal ranges. Again, Rio Grande Bird Research’s fall migration station at the Rio Grande Nature Center State Park was the beneficiary of this irruption when it banded a young Painted Bunting in Albuquerque, Bernalillo Co, New Mexico on 6 Sep.
Recommended citation: Gorbet, Asher. 2026. Ongoing Montane Bird Irruptions in Fall 2026. North American Birds. 77(2).
Late summer and early fall mark the time when birders in western North America start turning up records of montane birds moving into non-breeding habitats and descending into nearby lowlands. Fall of 2026 is shaping up to be another invasion season for a few montane species, especially a couple corvids, which are engaging in widespread movements. Here, three montane species are highlighted, a few others are mentioned, and we encourage you to provide details and documentation when observing wandering birds. For a brief primer on the basics of montane bird invasions, check out this previous Field Ornithology article.
Clark’s Nutcracker
This fall, Clark’s Nutcrackers have made widespread movements out of their preferred high-elevation montane breeding grounds into lower elevations. Moving both elevationally and geographically, they are showing up in mountains over much of the western U.S. and far beyond. New Mexico has seen records throughout most of its southern mountains, including two birds at Grindstone Lake in the Sierra Blanca Mountains, Lincoln Co. on 13 Sep. In Arizona, birds are also showing up across the Mogollon Rim and in the sky islands; included is a well-described record of two birds from Rustler Park, Cochise Co on 13 Sep. Beyond the southwestern U.S., nutcrackers have been well documented in the Badlands of South Dakota and in western Nebraska.
Sightings haven’t been limited to the mountains, though. Well east of the Rocky Mountain Front, in the panhandle of Oklahoma, 23 individuals were documented at Black Mesa State Park, Cimarron Co on 8 Sep, and a single bird was photographed in Sherman Co, Kansas on 16 Sep. Exceptional lowland records from the Midwest have also been well documented over the last several weeks. These include numerous birds in Iowa: Story Co 20–23 Aug, Cerro Gordo Co on 12 Sep, and Franklin Co on 15 Sep.
This exceptional Story Co, Iowa record of Clark’s Nutcracker, found and reported by Sierra McGonigal on 20 Aug 2026, set off a firestorm of sightings in the area over the next few days.
Minnesota and Wisconsin hosted single birds over the same span of dates. One was in Wright Co, Minnesota 17–19 Sep, and the other was in Bayfield Co, Wisconsin 17–18 Sep.
In Manitoba, records came in from Central Manitoba–Central Plains Co, where a single bird was present 3 Sep; from Flin Flon and North West County, where two birds were documented on 7 Sep; and Dauphin Co, where two birds were present 16–17 Sep.
Rounding out the impressive records of Clark’s Nutcrackers in unexpected places this fall come a handful of observations from California: a mind-blowing pelagic record about 30 mi. southwest of Point Arena in Mendocino Co on 18 Sep, seven birds on Santa Cruz I., Santa Barbara Co on 21 Sep, and 10 birds in San Diego Co on 13 Sep. Sizeable flocks are even being reported in urban San Francisco, where at least 31 were tallied on 18 Sep.
Pinyon Jay
Pinyon Jay wanders widely and regularly experiences years of large irruptive movements. It can show up both higher and lower in elevation than where its namesake piñon-juniper habitat grows. So far this season, Texas has benefited from this irruption. Two well documented observations come from El Paso Co, where at least three individuals were at Franklin Mountains State Park on 9 Sep. One checklist included recordings, while the other featured photos showing a rare scene: a Pinyon Jay perched on ocotillo (Fouqueria splendens).
Texas occasionally benefits from irruption years, when montane species occasionally show up in western Texas and on the Edwards Plateau. This documentation of Pinyon Jays in El Paso Co, Texas was the state’s first for fall 2026 and contains excellent details and documentation supporting the observation. Details like these are great to include with sightings even when out of habitat species do not flag on eBird checklists.
While there haven’t yet been as many sightings as in the large invasion of 2022, birds are already showing up in places such as Guadalupe Canyon, Hidalgo Co, New Mexico—nearly in Mexico. Notably, this species also is making a push westward. A well-documented flock of varying size—up to 117 individuals—was first noted in San Diego Co on 29 Aug and continued at least through 21 Sep.
More sightings from San Bernardino, Los Angeles, and Santa Barbara Cos. add to southern California records this season, and the first for Baja California this season was on 13 Sep in Ensenada. More are likely to come!
Lewis’s Woodpecker
This short-distance migrant makes annual movements south and west of their intermountain west breeding range, but not in equal numbers each year. Some years, movements are limited and patchy with other years bringing more widespread sightings. This year is shaping up to be the latter with strong early movements throughout the Rio Grande Valley in central New Mexico (Bernalillo, Valencia, and Socorro Cos). Southeast Arizona had a few early records with one bird seen at Ramsey Canyon Preserve, Cochise Co on 15 Aug and two more observed on Mt. Lemmon, Pima Co on 9 Sep.
Birders in southern Arizona, southern New Mexico, and northern Mexico should be on the lookout for these birds appearing in interesting locales this fall and document unusual sightings with additional details.
Additional Movements
Other montane species that have been making noticeable movements out of primary habitats include Mountain Chickadee, Pine Siskin, Evening Grosbeak, and Red-breasted Nuthatch. On 14 Sep, a single bird of the latter species was photographed in Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, and three were tallied in Ensenada, Baja California. Red-breasted Nuthatch is always an exciting find in Mexico.
These are all classic irruptive montane species and can be expected to move to some degree each year, though movements are often more regional/local. Interestingly, immense concentrations of the first two species have been noted at montane springs in central New Mexico.
In Albuquerque, New Mexico, a strong push of Woodhouse’s Scrub-Jays into the Rio Grande Valley is being observed. This movement is rivaling any others in recent memory and is backed up by some locally gathered scientific data. Rio Grande Bird Research has a dataset spanning over thirty years of fall migration banding data, and over that time, has banded more Woodhouse’s Scrub-Jays in a single year only once (ten individuals in 2022 to this year’s nine), and half of the banding seasons still remains. Interestingly, there have been no recaptures or resightings of banded birds, suggesting continual movement of scrub-jays through the area.
A Plea for Documentation
Because many of these species are regularly observed in primary habitats within the counties where out-of habitat sightings occur, they often do not “flag” as rare in eBird. This is where birding knowledge comes in handy! If you encounter one of these out-of-habitat individuals or groups, please consider writing details on observations, even if details are not required. This information helps document trends and provide an additional layer of understanding to these irruptive movements. Noting how individuals were observed, counted, and what they were doing (seen/heard, estimate/exact count, flyover/foraging, etc.) are pertinent details to include as are photos or recordings.
Birders in western North America, and even those in the Great Plains and beyond, should keep a keen eye and ear out for wandering montane species. Clark’s Nutcrackers and Pinyon Jays, especially, provide excellent opportunities for recordings, as their calls can be heard, identified, and oftentimes even recorded at a great distance. Lewis’s Woodpeckers, which are typically silent while wandering, are easily identified at a distance by their unique shape and flight style, even when no plumage details are discernable. All three species should be relatively easy to detect, document, and detail in observations. So get out there and see what montane birds you can document in the lowlands this fall!
Addendum
In the southwestern U.S., birders are noting additional irruptive movements of several non-montane species. These include Painted Bunting (a bird banded 20 Aug at Pahranagat N.W.R. in Lincoln Co, Nevada and a single bird in Larimer Co, Colorado 18 Sep) and Cactus Wren. In the case of the latter, birds have moved into the panhandle of Oklahoma, and up to three birds were observed in Las Animas Co, Colorado 20–23 Aug. With continued drought and extreme heat throughout the breeding ranges of these species in late summer 2026, wandering birds seeking food resources seem to be making their way north—as well as east and west—of their normal ranges. Again, Rio Grande Bird Research’s fall migration station at the Rio Grande Nature Center State Park was the beneficiary of this irruption when it banded a young Painted Bunting in Albuquerque, Bernalillo Co, New Mexico on 6 Sep.
Recommended citation: Gorbet, Asher. 2026. Ongoing Montane Bird Irruptions in Fall 2026. North American Birds. 77(2).
Asher Gorbet, long-time ABA member and volunteer, is Associate Editor and Photo Editor for North American Birds and Birding Special Issues, an instructor with Camp Colorado, and formerly a member of the Recording Standards & Ethics Committee. They grew up in Cleveland, Ohio, and have spent the past few decades studying wildlife ecology and banding birds across the U.S. Asher holds a Master of Science in Natural Resource Management and sits on the boards of the North American Banding Council and Bird Alliance of Central New Mexico. A traveler, explorer, and occasional bird guide, Asher is usually just back from a trip or planning the next. In between, Asher resides in Albuquerque, New Mexico, with three indoor kitties and a colorful community of birding comrades.
