Nature Bucket – Climate Change effects on bird migration April to May 2026

male Rose-breasted Grosbeak

This year is the first time I’ve had a couple of Grosbeak breed and raise young in my yard. The male, female and now fledglings are feeding on the sunflower seeds I scatter in my driveway. I’ll show the mom and son that are giving me lots of pleasurable afternoons.

female Rose-breasted Grosbeak

juvenile male Rose-breasted Grosbeak

The markings of the juvenile Grosbeak include stripes on the head, neck and under belly (like the female markings) that will disappear with maturity. The nest is located about 15 feet off the ground in an Oak tree used by all the regular and visiting species of birds here. The extra “cammo” of the chick’s markings kept it safe from marauders until it was old enough to leave the nest.

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We all took a beating from the storm outbreak on April 15th this year. Most of the debris has been cleared around residential areas and roads. Fortunately, much of the uninhabited lands have remained “as is”. This has provided conditions that are inviting to migrating species as a respite. Spring growth has thrived while recovering from the physical damage and plants are responding with remarkable production (quantity and quality).

A series of turbulent storms happened during the peak of bird migration. Consequently, the last few weeks of drastic climate changed the paths of the migrating flyways. I’ll use some images to help clarify the circumstances.

The Mississippi flyway covers both side of the river. Birds used to navigating by waterways travel fast and stay transit rather than linger.

The central flyway provides more available food sources and migrants can linger if they choose.

There is an overlap of the two flyways along the western boundary of the Mississippi river. Some bird species can be diverted to cross the river (a lateral move) rather than continue northward to traditional summer destinations. The Mississippi Ornithological Society has a list of species that name birds observed during those unique times. I was able to increase my life list by 11 due to weather conditions in the last 30 days.

Here are the conditions that occurred during mid April and mid May of 2026. First, I’ll show the image (we all learned from science classes in Elementary school) of the seasons, earth’s rotation, Sun declination, etc.

What is not seen in the image is the thin atmosphere and force of the arctic cold front that pushed it’s way into the mid section of the United States.

The following short video shows the depth and height of atmosphere changes during each type of front. It is important to visualize bird migration paths in three dimensions (length, width and height). Air density, temperatures, moisture creating resistance and turbulent air currents all effect the flow of migration. The strength and stamina of the bird species will also play a factor in migration disruption. Smaller birds (like Warblers) will not fare as well as bigger species (such as geese).

4:37 minute video

Embedded at the end of the video above is a different video that explains the specific weather events to hit the United States between April 15th and May 10th. I have captured three National Weather maps to show the patterns of fronts and their locations. These events forced birds toward the east as they flew northward. Subsequently, they landed in my area to refuel and recover from the pounding from the harsh weather.

Storms hits the south US. Wind speeds and intensity of barometric pressure caused tremendous damage and acted like a wall pushing migrants to the East.

8 days later, weather fronts collided and produce devastating results. 260 tornadoes were reported in the 30 day period. Birds fled ahead of the buffering winds and turbulence. Rain and hail pounded everything that was not torn apart by twisters.

The weather patterns began to stabilize but pushed many migrating species across the Mississippi river. Birds were tired of fighting the elements and began to rest for the continued flight north. That is the first day I went to search for uncommon species. Here is a list of the irregulars I recorded.

I will cover some of these birds in my upcoming Dawn Chorus (May 17th & May 24th).

I’ll start with the warblers (since they represented the largest number of new sightings). Golden-winged Warbler, Chestnut-sided Warbler, Bay-breasted Warbler, Northern Waterthrush, Tennessee Warbler and Cape May Warbler (All lifers).

Other Warblers I encountered in this time period are: Kentucky Warbler, Black-throated Green Warbler, Magnolia Warbler, Mourning Warbler, Black & White Warbler, Yellow-throated Warbler, Hooded Warbler, Palm (western) Warbler, Yellow-breasted Chat, Prairie Warbler, Prothonotary Warbler, Common Yellowhroat, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Pine Warbler, Yellow Warbler, Blackburnian Warbler and Norther Parula Warbler. That makes my species count at 23 Warblers. I am thrilled with these results.

Here are some photos.

Black and White Warbler

Yellow-throated Warbler

Blackburnian Warbler

Palm (western) Warbler

Yellow-rumped Warbler

Kentucky Warbler

Other species that I encountered (Lifers) were: Ovenbird, Sedge Wren, Blue-headed Vireo, Red-breasted Nuthatch and Veery.

Other birders across my state have been announcing species that aren’t usually seen on our side of the big river. Bronze Cowbird and Swainson’s Hawk are two examples. Weather has caused quite the stir among birders here and a concern for species that will suffer from the extra efforts to reach summer territories. We love the ability to pad our files with sightings, but are not loosing sight of the dangers of Climate Change wrath.

That is my report for the most recent sightings and reasons for the increased numbers of odd species. I hope you’ll get the chance to record new and odd species but cringe that the same environmental issues are giving us these results. Please record and catalog all your unusual sightings and report them here. We are also a library of information. Thank you for spending time with my report.

Here is another photo to tie you over until I return. Guess the species.

I’ll be at work until noon today but will respond to all comments later. I’ll see you then.