woodcreeper

A mix of wind directions and precipitation scenarios made for a very uneven distribution of birds last night. Here’s the radar from sunset last night through 6:00am this morning. Note that the Dover radar was having problems last night, so only a few of the images are present in the loop.

Frames are every 1/2 hour. Click on the thumbnail to view the full-sized animation.

The winds over New Jersey ranged from north to south, and east to west, throughout the night, with the only consistency being relatively low wind speeds. Therefore we did see some migration last night, even on the unstable wind conditions and precipitation that moved through overnight. Given the predominance of southeasterly winds over southern New Jersey, most birds over the Dover radar appeared to be heading inland, up the Delaware River, instead of across to the north bay shore. Over central and northern New Jersey, though, most movement started out on a S->N trajectory, and then turned the more typical SW->NE throughout the night. Birds could be seen heading over Sandy Hook on the early morning radar, but given the ESE wind readings on the Sandy Hook buoy as of 6:30am, I’d say that the probability is low for high densities of birds on this well-established migrant trap. Inland sites such as Garret Mountain and locations along the Delaware River may be the best bets for seeing some new birds today.

Over the next two nights we will see south winds across the region, as a cold front pushes east and then stalls over our area. We’re getting pretty late in the season now, so I’m not expecting anything major, but it will be interesting to see how May wraps up migration-wise. On that note, I’ll be signing off with my regular (almost) daily posts as of tomorrow morning, but will be posting throughout the summer on interesting topics, and hopefully with a summary of this seasons migration events. It has been another fun season, this time with the added benefit of living in Cape May… now I really can’t wait for fall!

Good Birding

David

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A small number of birds could be seen migrating last night, but the switch to more northerly winds clearly shut things down early, especially in the north. Here’s the radar from sunset last night through 5:00am this morning.

Frames are every 1/2 hour. Click on the thumbnail to view the full-sized animation.

Not much to say, except that while I expect a few more nights of moderate migration over the next week, things have definitely wound down for the season.

Last night we saw a little push of birds into the region, and an even smaller amount heading out. I think the main variable here was more northerly winds up north, and more variable winds down south. Expect birds to have thinned out a bit across most of the state, dispersing from migrant traps to better stopover habitat, and in general becoming less visible (ie not concentrated in any particular place). The Cape May peninsula showed a higher degree of activity last night that I had expected (with no strong westerly winds), so it will be interesting to see what turns up down here throughout the day. It’s possible that a good portion of this activity was shorebirds, especially since you can see a morning exodus of birds heading back south in the last frame, presumably roosting shorebirds or gulls heading over the Delaware to feed.

Good Birding

David

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The winds were light last night; more easterly to the south and more southwesterly to the north, creating an interesting signature across the radar.

Frames are every 1/2 hour. Click on the thumbnail to view the full-sized animation.

So the northern half of New Jersey experienced the bulk of the migration last night, with birds traveling in a typical SW->NE direction over Sandy Hook and into Manhattan and Long Island, NY. Sandy Hook and Garret Mountain, therefore, should be the best bets for new arrivals this morning.

Further south, though, migration was on a more S->N trajectory, although not as prominent as it had been in previous nights, when east winds had been stronger. Some birds can actually be seen crossing between Lewes, DE and the Cape May peninsula last night, unlike the night before. Still, the bulk of migration in the south entered New Jersey well north on the Delaware Bay shore such that any appreciable migration activity will be most likely in those locales.

Good Birding

David

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The winds over southern New Jersey last night were out of the ENE, while most of the region to our west was under more easterly, or southeasterly flow. That seems to have been the deciding factor in where migration occurred last night, and where it didn’t. Here’s the radar from sunset last night through 5:00am this morning.

Frames are every 1/2 hour. Click on the thumbnail to view the full-sized animation.

As you can see, the heaviest migration occurred over the greater New York state (regional composite) with little movement along the east coast, including Manhattan and Long Island. For New Jersey, a moderate push could be seen leaving the northern half of the state, while the south was relatively quiet. A nice pulse of birds were also evident heading north out of the Chesapeake Bay and Delmarva Peninsula, but all of this movement appeared to be heading due north, and bypassing NJ altogether.

Expect little in terms of migration density across the region… with Garret Mountain still holding more migrants relative to other locations.

Good Birding

David

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The eastern seaboard was ablaze with migration last night, along with the Central Flyway and parts of the Mississippi Flyway as well. Here’s the radar from sunset last night through 5:00am this morning.

Frames are every 1/2 hour. Click on the thumbnail to view the full-sized animation.

Winds were light and southeasterly last night, triggering another night of migration across many parts of the country, especially at central and northern latitudes. On the east coast, migration was heavy from the Mid-Atlantic through the Northeast, with highest densities occurring inland from the coast. This appears due to the southeasterly flow of the winds, which (for once this spring) did not push birds toward the coast. Expect the highest densities at inland migration hotspots today, such as along the Delaware River, and along interior ridges such as Garret Mountain. East winds should preclude many nocturnal migrants from “sticking” to coastal hotspots such as Sandy Hook, but may bring the possible pelagic gem (such as Sooty Shearwater or Arctic Tern) closer to shore… so if you’re in Cape May for Spring Weekend, or out at Montauk for some sun, be sure to scan the sea for anything out of the ordinary! And of course, come on back and let us know what you see.

Last night I was alerted to some visible migration via the Night Flight Call listserve (are you a member of the list? well, if you’re interested in nocturnal flight calls, you might want to consider it). From a local patch on the south side of Boston, Marshall Iliff reported seeing an inland flight of White-winged Scoters heading north. By the time darkness fell, he had estimated 630 individuals in several flocks. What a great sighting! Along with the WWSCs, he also witnessed 80 Atlantic Brant, a more regionally common sighting, but still a notable movement of migrants heading to the northwest. Bill Evans brought up the possibility of seeing these birds on the radar, so I’m going to take a closer look at the loops for Massachusetts and see if anything stands out… I’ll post an update when I’ve got something.

Until then, get out there and find some birds- it’s Spring Weekend down here, and I’ve got a hankering for some Puffinus on today’s seawatch… or maybe the Swallow-tailed AND Mississippi Kites from yesterday will return again today (and I won’t have to be in the office this time!!!!)

Good Birding!

David

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With winds being light and northerly (emphasis on light!), birds did what birds do this late in the spring- they migrated! Here’s the radar from sunset last night through 5:00am this morning. Unfortunately, the NYC radar was down all night, so I couldn’t post it below. This happens from time to time, and should be back online by tonight (if not already).

Frames are every 1/2 hour. Click on the thumbnail to view the full-sized animation.

Migration was moderate to heavy at times last night, but appeared to slow down in the early morning hours. It’s hard to tell, really, where birds were headed after 2am, since some strobing was evident in the radar images after that point. Either way, the general trend was more SW->NE than two nights ago, suggesting that less birds will have been pushed to the SE coast than yesterday (Cape May was great, by the way). More thrushes moved through, as was evident during my few minutes of nocturnal listening around 10:30pm, but I haven’t checked the entire recording to see how it compares with the night before.

Given no precipitation or opposing winds to shut down migration, expect the best locations today to be the tried-and-true migrant traps. Sandy Hook is a great choice, as the local buoy there is reading west winds at 3kts. I expect to hear about Mourning warblers feeding in the open grass today… what say you Scott? Garret Mountain should see some replacement today, and the northern Delaware Bay should too. Today kicks off the official Spring Weekend in Cape May, and I think anyone getting out to the weekend events will definitely get a taste of what makes this place so irresistible to birders. Okay, I’m off to see what’s around and will report back soon, so please make sure you stop back and give us an update on your day too!

Good Birding

David

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Birds were in the air last night – and Thrushes were clearly a part of the action based on the nocturnal flight calls we were hearing after dark. Here’s the radar from sunset last night through 5:00am this morning.

Frames are every 1/2 hour. Click on the thumbnail to view the full-sized animation.

Northerly winds yesterday gave way to southwest winds in the afternoon which then continued through early this morning. Clear skies and favorable winds were the recipe for a moderate to heavy flight over the Mid-Atlantic last night, where four species of thrushes (SWTH, GCTH, VEER, and BITH) could be readily heard overhead (from Villas, NJ, at least). Swainson’s Thrush clearly gave off the most numerous flight calls, and only one Bicknell’s Thrush was detected… but the calling rate was something to be experienced (about 1/minute, sometimes up to 10/minute). Other birds detected (and identified) were Least Sandpiper, Clapper Rail, American Redstart, Canada Warbler, Common Yellowthroat, White-throated Sparrow (getting late!), and Savannah Sparrow. That was all before midnight.

So, radar-wise, birds were headed in a SW->NE trajectory with a good source pool of birds originating over eastern Virginia and Washington DC. With high densities coming from both the south and the west, expect most migrant traps across the state to have new birds this morning. The obvious targets would be locations along the northern Delaware Bay shore, Garret Mountain, and Sandy Hook; but don’t overlook your local patch either. Northwest winds are on tap for this morning, but they’re light and variable at best right now, so we’ll see how much they push down the Cape May peninsula today. I’d expect a good showing of birds around Cape Island, based on the combined radar and flight call information… now I’ll have to go and find out. Please stop back and let us know what you saw!

Good Birding

David

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Well, not really… more like “gone birding”. Nothing happening on the radar- as winds are gusty and out of the NNW tonight. Tomorrow night is shaping up to be the next decent flight- so stay tuned, and see you on Thursday morning!

Good Birding
David

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The winds were light and out of the north last night, but clearly not enough of an obstacle to keep birds from moving this late in the season. Here’s the radar from sunset last night through 5:00am this morning.

Frames are every 1/2 hour. Click on the thumbnail to view the full-sized animation.

The winds were light (5kts) and out of the northwest last night, but otherwise the atmospheric conditions were quite conducive to migration. The radar indicates that birds took advantage of the conditions and made a bid for the breeding grounds. Migration was widespread across the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast last night, with the majority of birds heading on a S->N track. With no weather to bring birds down, I would not expect any fallout conditions to have occurred. The best bets today will be migrant traps such as the central Delaware Bay coastline and Garret Mountain in New Jersey. Sandy Hook should be good early this morning, but will die down as east winds build in by late morning.

Of course, your observations are always welcome, so please stop back and let us know what you saw.

Good Birding

David

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Just in time for the biggest birding event in the… (dare I say it??). Here’s the radar from sunset last night through 5:00am this morning.

Frames are every 1/2 hour. Click on the thumbnail to view the full-sized animation.

The weather really took shape last night, bringing high densities of migrants to the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast in general, and the Garden State in particular. Surface winds really triggered this flight, as the winds aloft were out of the northwest. Given the southeasterly component to the surface winds, it does appear that the upper-level winds played a part in this movement- as many birds were seen over the Cape May peninsula, and heading out over Sandy Hook early this morning. Surface winds continue out of the SW this morning over Sandy Hook, so expect a great day at this gem of a migrant trap. The entire state is fair game today, as migration was widespread- but migrant traps such as Garret Mountain should hold higher-than-average numbers of migrants. Central and Prospect parks in NYC should also be teaming with birds this morning, as early morning weather seems to have put birds down over Manhattan. More importantly (maybe), though, is the most recent forecast for Game Day…

Right now all three of the forecast models appear to be converging on one excellent (for migration and birding) solution… in general, it looks like the upper level and surface winds will be blowing out of the west and southwest respectively. While the previous forecast indicated too much northwest for me to think “heavy migration”, the recent forecast has the upper-level winds turning WSW early tomorrow night… it’s looking like a GO for Friday night into Saturday Morning! For those of us doing the Big Day on Cape Island only, you may be in luck too- as northwest winds will build in at all altitudes after 2am. While we expect those winds to halt migration further north (bringing birds down into our favorite hotspots by morning) northwest winds have an additive effect in Cape May, tending to bring with them migrants that have overshot their intended goals (such as Mississippi and Swallow-tailed Kites), and those birds that have wandering tendencies (such as Cattle Egrets). Oh, the playing field is looking good!

This will probably be my last post until Sunday, as I’ll be starting our state route at midnight with my team, the Scarlet Knight Herons- so until then, good birding, good last-minute scouting, and GOOD LUCK! I’m sure Mike will be updating the blog at CMBO, and you can keep up with the Cornell Redheads and Sapsuckers via their Facebook pages… they’ve been quite entertaining to follow through their adventures in pre-gaming. Thanks to all of the other teams for helping out with scouting- it really has been a fun collabo-competitive endeavor.  We will see you in the field tomorrow- and at the finish line soon thereafter.
Cheers,

David

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It’s Wednesday night and the atmosphere over New Jersey is pretty devoid of avian life. I’m heading out quite early tomorrow, so will not be posting the radar, but I will post an updated forecast tomorrow evening. Right now the probability is high for a heavy flight into the region on Thursday night, arriving on Friday morning… so stay tuned!

Good Birding
David

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Well, the rain got here a little “too” early… here’s the radar from sunset last night through 5:00am this morning.

Frames are every 1/2 hour. Click on the thumbnail to view the full-sized animation.

I could tell last night, when I was driving home from work, that the weather was moving a bit ahead of schedule. After sunset, though, it became obvious that while some birds over central and northern New Jersey would take flight to the north, the Delmarva Peninsula would stay quiet. Aghh, such is migration. If you check out the regional composite, you’ll see that we were smack dab in the middle of a “dead zone”, while migration was evident to our south, west, and north. Expect some turnover (mostly exodus) at places like Garret Mountain, but little influx into the southern part of the state today. The Sandy Hook buoy is reading southeast winds, which means that Derek Lovitch is in town and therefore birding on The Hook will be slow (but we’re stoked that our 5th teammate is finally arriving today!). It looks like we’ll have to wait until Thursday night to see the next push of migrants, as tonight the winds will be out of the northeast… but when it does happen, I expect the next flight to be big!

Good birding, and scouting,

David

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More birds are on their way, but the persistent northwest winds were just enough to hold them at bay to our south. Here’s the radar from sunset last night through 5:00am this morning.

Frames are every 1/2 hour. Click on the thumbnail to view the full-sized animation.

Again, the most telling part of this series of images is not what they show you, but what they don’t. Last night the radars over the southeast and Gulf states were ablaze with migrants. While clearly heaviest over the Central and Mississippi flyways, the Eastern Flyway was still cranking as far north as the Carolinas. Despite heavy migration to our south, the northwest winds from the surface to 3000 feet did their job keeping birds from entering the Mid-Atlantic. Only a very few birds were detected crossing into Southern NJ last night, as can be seen on the Dover radar loop, and none were apparent over Central NJ or Eastern NY. That is all about to change tonight.

As the latest front pushes eastward tonight we will see winds turn southerly and then southeasterly across the region. Migration should be heavy tonight if the rain and thunderstorms can hold off until the late hours (which I suspect will happen).Unfortunately, for the Cape May peninsula, southeast winds are never ideal in spring and most of the migrants are expected to pass to our west. The rest of the state, though (and especially those locations lying west-of-center) should see a good influx of new birds by tomorrow morning. Northwest winds should build in on Wednesday, helping to push some of those recent arrivals back down the Cape May peninsula later in the day on Wednesday and definitely by Thursday. On Thursday night we should see another big push of migrants into the Mid-Atlantic, this time with some more birds crossing over the Delaware Bay and reaching the eastern shore of New Jersey.

For the extended outlook, I’m expecting the last big push of migrants to be on Thursday evening, arriving across the state on Friday morning. After that, winds are forecast to shift northwesterly and shut down any nocturnal movements through the weekend. That could mean some interesting things for the World Series of Birding, this Saturday, as migrants scouted on Friday should stay put through the Big Day. What this means for nocturnal calling rates on Friday and Saturday nights remains to be seen…

Either way, it’s gonna be a fun ride. I start going full throttle tonight- so hopefully I’ll be seeing some of you in the field over the next four days.

Good Birding, and Good Scouting,

David

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Indeed, it’s true. Northwest winds have kept things quiet for the last two nights over the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast. Here’s the regional composite from sunset last night through 6:00am this morning.

Frames are every 1/2 hour. Click on the thumbnail to view the full-sized animation.

Not much to say about the radar last night, at least for our area. Birds were heading north along the Central flyway, as well from Florida to South Carolina, so we can expect more birds to be backing up until conditions improve on Tuesday night. Right now the two flight nights look to be Tuesday and Thursday nights, with Wednesday and Friday nights showing northwest winds.

Good Birding

David

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Wow- what a crazy busy weekend! Radar outages, getting into scouting for next weekend’s World Series of Birding, Mother’s Day… my head is spinning!  Here are the regional composites for Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights.

Frames are every 1/2 hour. Click on the thumbnail to view the full-sized animation.

As you can see from the composites, that last cold front came through like gangbusters: too far to our west, resulting in poor migration conditions on Thursday night; just to our west and strong southwest flow causing heavy migration on Friday night; then gone by Saturday morning, and replaced by strong northwest winds that shut down migration on Saturday night. Tonight, Sunday night, we’re still looking at strong northwest winds across the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast, which would suggest that we won’t see a nocturnal flight.  This has proven quite good for Garret Mountain which has experienced two great days of migrants sticking around after the large flight on Friday night. If you can get there tomorrow, you’ll probably have a great day. Around Cape May, the northwest winds have proven effective once more, producing multiple Swallow-tailed Kites, 8+ Cattle Egrets, a Scissor-tailed Flycatcher, and oodles of swallows, including numerous Cliff.

Right now it looks like the next migration-causing conditions will occur on Tuesday night, as the next cold front marches toward the east by mid-week. Possibly more interesting, though, is the chance of a second front reaching the east coast by the weekend. If it does, we could have a significant flight into the region for the Big Day on Saturday… I’ll be keeping an eye on it (as I’m sure all of the teams will) and will be posting regular updates as the weather becomes more predictable. For now, though, it’s looking good. Tomorrow morning I’ll resume regular postings, and hope that the radar cooperates!

Good Birding

David

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That’s right, More Birds! Many of which are probably bilingual, at least. I wish I could show you the radar- but when I went to download it this morning the script had hit a snag. What a bummer! It was pretty impressive….

…anyway; Migration was heavy throughout the night and pretty much followed the standard SW->NE trajectory throughout the region. High densities were everywhere, and I would expect the spring migrant trap locations to be hopping this morning- although not fallout conditions given the very conducive (to migration) atmosphere. As I often do this time of year, I’ll get into my “broken record” routine: the northwest Delaware Bay shore, Garret Mountain, Sandy Hook, and (for the NY birders who I often unintentionally neglect) Central Park will all be good bets today. Cape May should also be good, as good numbers were seen crossing over the peninsula early this morning… and who knows, maybe the Scissor-tailed Flycatcher will have stuck around! (wishful thinking, given the heavy migration traffic last night, but stranger things have happened!).

I’m off to scout the South for the upcoming big day.

Good Birding

David

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but northwest winds are always interesting in Cape May- so I’m on my way out. I’ll post the radar later this afternoon.

Good Birding

David

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It’s ON! Like clockwork, the cold front that falls between May 5 and 10th brings with it a huge influx of birds to the region. Here’s the radar from sunset last night through 5:00am this morning.

Frames are every 1/2 hour. Click on the thumbnail to view the full-sized animation.

Southwest winds on the approaching edge of the latest cold front, made for ideal migration conditions last night. The regional composite really shows well the extent and magnitude of the flight over the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern US. For New Jersey, conditions were perfect for the standard SW->NE flight, with no precipitation to concentrate birds. Expect the NW Delaware Bay shore (see Sandra’s comment from yesterday), Garret Mountain, and Sandy Hook to be the best bets for today, while all locations throughout the state will be showing some sign of migration (you might just have to look a little harder). Plenty of birds were over the Cape May peninsula last night, which suggests excellent birding conditions there as well. This may be one of the days for which you’ve been saving your comp time…

Any locations along the frontal boundary early this morning could be epic this today. Specifically, locations from NE Ohio, across the southeastern shores of the Great Lakes in New York, and up into NW Vermont, should all be experiencing fallout conditions this morning. I bet the scouting crews from the Cornell WSB teams wish they were back home today…

Good Birding!!!

David

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Here’s the radar from sunset last night through 5:00am this morning.

Frames are every 1/2 hour. Click on the thumbnail to view the full-sized animation.

The national (not shown) and regional composites indicate that migration was heaviest along the Central and Mississippi flyways, and also heavy along most of the Eastern flyway, up to and including the southern Delmarva Peninsula. North of that, though, migration intensity declined sharply, such that there was only light migration in the Northeastern US. Winds were out of the WSW early in the night, which caused birds to head more ENE through midnight. Birds could be seen flying over the Cape May peninsula at peak migration last night, which is always a good indication that they’re being pushed eastward by the winds. By early this morning, though, the winds had turned more light and variable, and birds appear to have corrected their direction of travel back to a more SSW->NNE. By sunrise the majority of birds still in the air were heading into New Jersey via the northwest Delaware bay and/or the Delaware River floodplain.

With no weather present to concentrate birds, the best bet for diversity and numbers this morning will be the tried-and-true migrant traps. I’m pretty confident that Cape May will produce some good birding conditions this morning as well, given the number of birds apparently over the peninsula at peak migration last night. It looks as if the next front will approach the East Coast tonight, bringing with it the next bout of southwest winds along the eastern flyway. We should see a big push of birds into the region overnight tonight and into tomorrow morning… here we go again!

Thanks to those who have donated to our World Series of Birding team! For those of you who would like to contribute, we have a Paypal link on our blog here: http://knightherons.blogspot.com/

You can also follow along with us on Facebook here: Knight Herons on Facebook

Good Birding

David

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Well, eventually you have to get those last dust bunnies out of the corners, in order to make way for the next stampede of migrants… that was last night. Here’s the radar from sunset last night through 5:00am this morning.

Frames are every 1/2 hour. Click on the thumbnail to view the full-sized animation.

Migration was light to moderate across the Atlantic coast, and light inland, as winds were west/southwest over the region. The strong push toward the east will favor coastal migrant traps this morning, including the Cape May peninsula. Garret Mountain, Sandy Hook, etc. will all be good choices today.

As you know, we’re really getting close to the Big Day now, with the World Series of Birding less than two weeks away! My team, The Scarlet Knight Herons, will be participating in the state-wide competition and  could really use your support to help us raise money for conservation. You can (and should!) come be our fan on Facebook and if you are so inclined, we’d love to have your pledge. 25 cents, 50 cents, $1 per bird? A small lump sum? anything will help us out, and all donations will go straight to a not-for-profit organization focused on bird conservation. We still have to choose our organization, and right now it’s between a local NJ conservation group and one working on oil spill cleanup along the Gulf Coast… if we get enough, though, we may even be able to support both. Either way, I’ll be keeping you posted via this blog, and our Facebook page.
Good Birding

David

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Here’s the radar from sunset last night through 5:00am this morning.

Frames are every 1/2 hour. Click on the thumbnail to view the full-sized animation.

Birds were on the move once again last night, as the northbound trend continues. Cold front moved into the region overnight last night, causing strong southwesterly winds along the frontal boundary and eventually bringing heavy rain to the northern half of New Jersey. This heavy precipitation, following some moderate to heavy migration, will mean birds will be concentrated along the frontal boundary this morning. If you experienced heavy rain beginning after midnight (and probably still going this morning!) you have a good chance of seeing a mini-fallout in your area. Otherwise Sandy Hook should see some good bird activity this morning as the flight continued on a SW->NE trajectory through 5:00am. Most of the birds crossing the Delaware Bay did so on a more S->N trajectory, such that most birds will have missed Cape May altogether. That said, some birds could be seen making the crossing between Lewes, DE and Cape May, so expect some new birds to be around at first light.

It looks like westerly and northwesterly flow will return to the region for a few days. If nothing moves tonight, then we probably wont see much migration until Thursday or Friday. I’ll post any updates as they become clearer.

Good Birding

David

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Conditions were excellent last night, for a strong movement of migrants heading north from all points along the Eastern and Mississippi flyways. The Central flyway, too, was pretty active, especially along the Gulf coast and throughout Texas. It’s beginning to feel a LOT like springtime! Here’s the radar from sunset last night through 5:00am this morning.

Frames are every 1/2 hour. Click on the thumbnail to view the full-sized animation.

Migration was heavy across the Mid-Atlantic last night, with most birds heading on a more typical (than the previous night) trajectory of SW->NE. No weather was present today to concentrate birds in any one location, so choosing a spring migrant trap will definitely be the best bet this morning. Expect birds that arrived two days ago to begin dispersing into the landscape looking for optimal foraging habitat, and for new arrivals to concentrate at places such as the northern Delaware Bay shore, Garret Mountain, and Sandy Hook. This should mean an overall increase in bird diversity and density at most locations today. Southwest winds and high thermal activity will dominate throughout the day, which will allow for nice diurnal raptor activity throughout the region as well.

I should mention that today also kicks off the FREE NJ Audubon May Days event, being held at the brand new Hoffman Center for Conservation and Education at the Scherman-Hoffman Wildlife Sanctuary in Bernardsville, NJ. This is a perfect way to see lots of birds (the center is on a great piece of birding real estate) while also experiencing live demos of radio-telemetry and bird banding, lots of hands-on activities for kids, and great food and exhibits.

Hope to see you in the field!
Good Birding

David

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Migration was H E A V Y last night, with high densities pushing up into the Mid-Atlantic throughout the night and morning. Here’s the radar from sunset last night through 5:00am this morning.

Frames are every 1/2 hour. Click on the thumbnail to view the full-sized animation.

As you can see from the regional composite, migration was heavy up to and including Manhattan, with lighter movements continuing both up into western NY and up into New England. The national composite (not shown) showed heavy migration across the Big Three (Central, Mississippi and Eastern) flyways last night. No weather was present over the Mid-Atlantic to concentrate birds, so the best places will be those tried and true spring migrant hotspots. Given the sheer volume of birds, most locations (hotspot, or not) should be holding more birds today than they did yesterday.

This migration trend will continue through the weekend, usually with less volume in subsequent nights, but having a net increase effect given the additive nature of all the birds heading north and needing to refuel. It’s always nice when these things happen at the start of a weekend!

Good Birding

David

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No time to post the radar, unfortunately, but I did want to drop a note that there was some migration visible on the radar last night, even despite the strong WNW winds over the region. Birds could be seen being pushed to the east throughout the night, with the heaviest movements heading NE to the coast, including the lower peninsula (which is typically geographically challenged in the spring). Cape May should be interesting today, as should Sandy Hook… now to figure out why my water pump isn’t working, and then get to work… sigh.

Good Birding!
David

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Well, in migration you’ve got ‘open flood gates’, ‘closed flood gates’, and in some cases gates that are left a little open (what’s the matter with you!? were you raised in a barn, buddy!??). Last night, while most of New Jersey was still under the influence of a remnant cold front, the Delmarva was clear enough to allow a small push of birds into southern NJ. Hence, someone left the gates unlocked. Not fully ajar, mind you, but just enough to let a few birds squeeze in. Here’s the radar from sunset last night through 5:30am this morning.

Frames are every 1/2 hour. Click on the thumbnail to view the full-sized animation.

As you can see from the radar, the only real visible nocturnal migrants were restricted to the southern tip and shore of New Jersey. Winds were out of the west over this region, and the velocity image corroborates that fact, with most birds being pushed eastward over the Cape May peninsula, and up along the western Delaware Bay shore. I live along this shoreline, and I can tell you that last night the nocturnal flight calls were frequent, with lots of White-throated and Savannah sparrows, as well as Yellow-rumped Warblers. Tom Reed shot me a text message alerting me to the phenomenon, and he was hearing even more up his way on Reed’s Beach Rd. I would expect birds around Cape May point and the Delaware Bay shore this morning, up to the Atlantic City area- but not much else further north, based solely on the radar and the weather.

That said, all that will be on the ground today cannot be explained by the radar alone. Garret Mountain proved that yesterday, with an apparent influx of White-throated Sparrows, Ruby-crowned Kingelts, and Yellow-rumped Warblers. Judging from the radar, I can see no visible signal of migration north of Atlantic City- but birds can move under the precipitation, and under the radar, for that matter! I look forward to hearing your reports from the field, so please come back and visit and let us know what you’ve seen- and at the very least report your sightings to eBird and then to Jerseybirds so that we can have a running archive of migration for the region.

Good Birding

David

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John Van Dort – the spring migration counter at Sandy Hook – has a blog. Here’s the address: http://johnvandort-ontheroad.blogspot.com/

If you haven’t checked it out already, then you should. If you have, then you know that John is not only a great observer of birds, but he’s also gifted at analyzing his observations and interpreting his results in very clear and concise prose. I learn something interesting every time I visit; and really enjoy reading about how things unfold at one of New Jersey’s great spring migrant traps.

Thanks John. Keep up the great work!

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More birds are piling up to our south as a series of low pressure systems park themselves over the Mid-Atlantic. A few birds did manage to sneak into South Jersey before it all shut down, though. Here’s the radar from sunset last night through 5:00am this morning.

Frames are every 1/2 hour. Click on the thumbnail to view the full-sized animation.

For starters, the radar showed no visible migration after sunset for NYC (via the Upton NY radar) nor for most of New Jersey (via the Fort Dix radar). The only apparent migration into New Jersey occurred along the extreme southern portion of the state, including a flight into the northern Delaware Bay shore, and into the southern peninsula. Northwest winds built in quickly as the low pressure systems barreled down on New Jersey, causing most of those birds to land before sunrise.

So, we continue with this backlog of migrants to our south- as there was some appreciably heavy migration across most of the eastern flyway last night, up to the Jersey border. We can hope to have some of these birds in our area by tomorrow, if the winds turn westerly as forecast… but we’ll have to wait and see if that holds through tonight. Until then, expect minimal changes locally, with the best chance at new arrivals being along the Delaware Bay shore at Belleplain, Heislerville, etc. Cape May could be interesting this morning… I’m about to go find out!

Good Birding

David

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As expected, birds took to the skies last night, and continued to push through the region as the latest low pressure system slammed into the east coast. Here’s the radar from sunset last night through 7:00am this morning.

Frames are every 1/2 hour. Click on the thumbnail to view the full-sized animation.

Each of the local radars shows moderate levels of migration last night, before the storms hit the east coast. As precipitation pushed eastward, though, birds appear to have kept moving on the southerly tailwinds, especially over central New Jersey (as per the Fort DIX radar). This suggests two things. 1) there were less birds coming up out of the south and entering the Delmarva and southern New Jersey. This is also corroborated by the regional reflectivity, as well as the general direction of migrants from Virginia and the Delmarva (primarily heading from south to north, which therefore bypasses southern New Jersey and heads more for Pennsylvania).

The most interesting part of this flight might be the apparent push from SW->NE, putting large numbers of birds over Garret Mountain and Sandy Hook before the heaviest rains put birds down. The switch in wind direction from SW to S to SE overnight would usually mean birds would be absent from The Hook by morning- but I’m hesitant to make that bet. In fact, I’d be very keen to head out there this morning and see what’s flitting about… chances look better than even that it’ll be a good day. Garret Mountain, too, should see some dense concentrations of birds today, and I’d like to have been at the top of the ridge at first light to see what kind of action was going on there.

That said, your local patch may be hopping this morning, especially if you live in Central or Northern New Jersey, and the rain began in earnest over your area after 1:00am. If you make the trip out into the field this morning, please come by and let us know how it went… I’m out the door to see what might be around Cape May, although I don’t expect much in terms of migrant landbirds… but who knows!?

Good Birding

David

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If I told you that there were tens of thousands of birds right at your doorstep, just chomping at the bit to get into New Jersey, would you believe me? Here’s the radar from sunset last night through 6:00am this morning.

Frames are every 1/2 hour. Click on the thumbnail to view the full-sized animation.

Well, you should believe me- but don’t use the local radar to confirm it. The local radar showed little movement over New Jersey last night, and even less over New York City. The cold front that dipped down over NJ yesterday has maintained its barrier to northbound migrants from the Delmarva all the way west into the Great Lakes states. It’s pretty impressive! If you check out the regional composite, you can see this effect first-hand. But check out the activity south of the front line… lots of birds! Now check out this link: 20100424_045900.png That’s the national composite from 1am EST last night. Wow.

What you can see from the national composite is heavy migration coming up from the Gulf Coast states and continuing up into the Central Flyway. There’s a large weather system centered over the South; TN, KY, that’s blocking some of the northbound traffic on the Mississippi Flyway, although there is still plenty of action between that system and the front that’s precluding birds from entering our area. Look down at Florida, and you can see birds arriving via Cuba and the Caribbean… pretty sweet! (you can see more on this at http://badbirdz2.wordpress.com, where Angel and Mariel Abreu are updating the Florida radar on a daily basis). Migration up the Eastern Flyway is also ramping up, as you can see heavy movement over Georgia and South Carolina, and moderate to heavy migration moving north up to Virginia.

So, while I expect little change to our avifauna given the almost total blockage of nocturnal migrant by the frontal boundary, by tonight that low pressure spinning in the middle of the country will move east, triggering more southerly flow over our area. I expect to see a good push of birds into the Garden State over the next two nights… so stay tuned!

Good Birding

David

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A weak cold front dipped into the Garden State last night, and prevented much of anything from entering from the south. Here’s the radar from sunset last night through 5:00am this morning.

Frames are every 1/2 hour. Click on the thumbnail to view the full-sized animation.

You can see the cold front in the radar images, represented by a line of precipitation extending across Central NJ and the Delmarva Peninsula. The regional composite shows a moderate level of migration occurred in the southern Mid-Atlantic region, but cut off north of the Delmarva by the frontal boundary (which moved south through the night). A push of birds was apparent across the northern Chesapeake Bay, so new birds should be expected around the natural areas in that region. While I’m unfamiliar with any birding locations there, on Google Maps, Elk Neck State Park looks like a good choice. I’d love to hear from some Delmarva birders as to where in that region can be good for spring birding.

Further north in New Jersey, conditions were less conducive to migration. An early and small push of birds was evident into the southern half of the state, but quickly faded out as conditions deteriorated. Northwest winds will make things a little more interesting around Cape May, where we have the chance of some new birds making their way back down the peninsula… but don’t expect any major numbers given the light flight. To the north there was little in the way of movement, with only a small number of birds seen heading NW toward NY.

Of course, any day afield is a good day, so until next time…

Good Birding!

David

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Last night conditions for migration deteriorated over most of the Mid-Atlantic, while the Northeast experienced a much more conducive atmosphere. Here’s the radar from sunset last night through 5:00am this morning.

Frames are every 1/2 hour. Click on the thumbnail to view the full-sized animation.

As you can see from the regional composite, there was a moderate migration out of central and northern New Jersey, and across the northeastern states. Very little movement was evident across the southern half of the state or anywhere to our south, with a small number of birds entering Pennsylvania from VA/Maryland.

Without a large influx of new birds, I would expect numbers to have decreased across the region, although these types of light movements following a large flight can result in interesting patterns on the ground. First, we could see the birds that came in two nights ago moving into more optimal habitat. If you have a local patch that tends to do better one or two days after a frontal passage, you might want to give it a check today. Second, the birds that were moving out of New Jersey were heading for Long Island, NY via Sandy Hook. That bodes well for another good day (with new species possible) out at The Hook. The buoy off of SH is reading light west winds, which further supports that as a good choice.

Good Birding

David

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Wow… talk about a late post! Migration was hot, heavy, and headed in the expected direction for spring. Here’s the radar from sunset last night through 8:30am this morning.

Frames are every 1/2 hour. Click on the thumbnail to view the full-sized animation.

No time to write. Check out the radar! It looks like all the birds from the Delmarva and coastal North Carolina will have made it up into the region today, as a low spinning to our south brought southerly flow to the east coast. Most migration over the Garden State was along the typical SW->NE trajectory, with no weather to bring birds down at any one location. Expect the migrant traps along the major axis to hold the most birds today. Garret Mountain and Sandy Hook are very good bets!

Good Birding

David

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High pressure continues to dominate the region, while light surface winds appear to have triggered some birds to get the heck out of Dodge last night, and head into the Mid-Atlantic. Here’s the radar from sunset last night through 5:30am this morning.

Frames are every 1/2 hour. Click on the thumbnail to view the full-sized animation.

Movement was light, but evident last night, which came as a bit of a surprise to me given that winds aloft were out of the northwest. My take is that birds were chomping at the bit to our south; and a light surface wind coupled with the hormonal call of spring got them going. Not much action was observed north of New Jersey as is evident from the regional composite, and is consistent with the stronger northwest winds over New England. Over PA, to our west, though, conditions have improved in the last 24 hours, and migration was heavier. Most birds over NJ last night were headed in a general SW->NE trajectory, consistent with expected spring migration patterns. Expect the tried-and-true spring hotspots to see new birds this morning, while outlying areas will see less changing of the guard until we get a bigger flight into the region (looks like as early as tonight, but more likely Wednesday night into Thursday morning).
Good Birding

David

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While the birding throughout New Jersey has been good lately, we haven’t seen a big flight of nocturnal migrants arriving in the Garden State for a few nights. This has been due primarily to the strong Northwest flow over the region, and as the past has demonstrated, once this clears out we should see an uncorking of the migrant backlog to our south. Birds have been coming up the Central and Mississippi flyways much more regularly of late, but we still should see good numbers piling up in the southeastern US.

Tonight the winds at 3000 feet are forecast to remain out of the north, all the way down into South Carolina, but conducive to migration in Georgia and N. Florida. With that, we should expect to see some birds making their way into South Carolina, but not much further.

By Tuesday night, though, winds will have turned south/southwest over the Carolinas, while the winds over the Delmarva remain out of the northwest. If the winds are light enough, we could see a push into southern NJ on Tuesday night into Wednesday morning. Otherwise, expect the pileup to continue to our south.

By Wednesday night the winds over New Jersey and points south will be out of the southwest/WSW, and we could see a big flight into the Garden State, if (and this is the big if) the birds have time to take off before heavy precipitation arrives. Calling that timing, even this far out, is a bit of a gamble; so I’ll refrain- but either way, this is the weather to watch.

I’ll have the radar back up and running tomorrow morning, although I doubt it’ll show much until we get closer to mid-week.

In the meantime, I also wanted to alert you to several new features of woodcreeper.com. First, we have a Facebook fan page, so if you’re on Facebook, and you enjoy woodcreeper.com, please come join us there too! (here’s the link!)

Also, please come visit our World Series of Birding team page here, and our blog here.

Viva Migration!

David

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So according to the radar, there was no flight over the Mid-Atlantic last night. Any changes on the landscape today would most likely be due to local movements as birds either redirect to somewhere they want to be (moving SE on NW winds) or head for better foraging habitat to refuel for their next leg. That said, my prediction for yesterday was a bust, as birds (mostly diurnal migrants) were pretty active at some of the more common spring migrant traps (Garret Mountain and Sandy Hook) and some of the less common spring locations (Cape May Point). Actually, I should have considered the latter, since northwest winds are one of the few features that do help funnel birds back down into the peninsula. I hadn’t really thought about the diurnal birds (raptors, swallows, etc) taking advantage of the early morning southwest winds (up north) or being pushed east on the strong west winds (south)… well, you learn something every day during migration!

Good Birding!
David

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Those two words pretty much summed it up for the Mid-Atlantic last night. A frontal boundary that moved in late last night, extending across the Delmarva and west across the middle of the country, created a barrier between some heavy migration over the Southeastern US and the Mid-Atlantic and northeastern US. This system is forecast to linger into next week, unfortunately, so I don’t expect much in terms of spring migration into the area. Fortunately, once this does clear, we will see a large movement in response to the buildup of migrants… we’ll just have to wait and see! (or better yet- go look at the birds that ARE around!)

Good Birding

David

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I wish I had more time to comment- but I’m late for some morning birding! Here’s the radar from sunset last night through 6:30am this morning.

Frames are every 1/2 hour. Click on the thumbnail to view the full-sized animation.

Check out the trajectory across the radar (using the velocity loops), the intensity (using the base reflectivity), and the extent (using the regional composite), and you’ll see that migration was moderate and typical of a spring flight across most of the mid-Atlantic. These conditions are good for the tried-and-true spring migrant traps, as well as anywhere that experienced rain in the early morning hours. Get out there and see what’s around, and make sure to come back and let us know what you saw!

Good Birding

David

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Well, while most of the country experienced moderate to high levels of migration last night, the Delmarva got taxed, and New Jersey may have gotten a small, but early, refund (which seems appropriate, given today’s date, eh?). Here’s the radar from sunset last night through 7:30am this morning.

Frames are every 1/2 hour. Click on the thumbnail to view the full-sized animation.

High pressure over the southeastern US has kept the bulk of migrants out to our west over the last few nights. This was no exception last night, where, while we did experience some influx from the Delmarva, we clearly did not get a big push from points further south (which we would need for any significant change in density and diversity). In fact, most of the southeastern US was quiet last night, while the Central and Mississippi flyways were going gangbusters. A small flight was evident out of New Jersey, heading towards Long Island, NY, as was a flight out of New York State. Expect the tried and true spring hotspots to be the best bet for today, and we could have some nice new arrivals mixed in… but any big turnover of species is going to have to wait until a front can push through this high pressure. Oh well, it’ll happen soon enough!

Good Birding

David

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…but there will be some on the way tonight! I’ll give an update later this afternoon, but In the meantime, I’m catching up on a few hours of sleep. Would you please turn out the light before you leave?

Good Birding, and Tax Filing,
David

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I should immediately add the disclaimer that although the floodgates have been left wide open across most of the country, the barn door over New Jersey is still quite stuck in the closed position due to the stationary front to our south. Another disclaimer: the radar appears to have a little indigestion, and more than half of the radar images were dropped due to technical problems (at the radar source, out of my control). With that, I give you the radar loops from sunset last night through 5:00am this morning.

Frames are every 1/2 hour. Click on the thumbnail to view the full-sized animation.

More migration was evident across all three flyways last night, all the way up into the southern Mid-Atlantic. A stationary front across the Carolinas acted as a barrier to any major flight into the Mid-Atlantic and/or Northeastern US, the gradual effect of which was quite apparent on the three local radars. Some birds could be seen moving from south to north (a bit off-axis from the typical SW->NE trajectory, and likely due to the 10kt winds at 3000 feet, blowing out of the SE last night) over the Dover station, while less were apparent over the Fort Dix radar. By the time we get to the NYC station, little to no birds appeared to be migrating. Not surprisingly, the winds over New York at the time of departure last night were out of the north.

Birding conditions should remain fair today, with little in the way of new birds except maybe along the northwestern Delaware Bay shore. Due to the easterly component to the wind, New Jersey as a whole will have missed any considerable influx of birds.  It looks like PA, though, will have gotten the brunt of this influx of birds, so if you find yourself near a spring hotspot in PA or southern NY state (along the PA/NY border), do yourself a favor and see what’s around! (and when you’re done, do us all a favor and let us know what you saw!).

For the rest of us, right now the models indicate that it’ll be the weekend before our next big push; but a small flight is still possible along the way… I’ll keep you posted as things develop.
Good Birding

David

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Great migration weather from the Central Flyway all the way to the East Coast has resulted in another big flight of migrants into the region. A dry front which moved down over New York and into Central NJ last night, though, appears to have stopped birds in their tracks along the way. Here’s the radar from sunset last night through 6:30am this morning (yup, I finally had to sleep in today).

Frames are every 1/2 hour. Click on the thumbnail to view the full-sized animation.

As I suggested above, migration was hot and heavy from Texas to Florida, up to the Great Lakes and over to New Jersey. The only region to get cut out of this major flight was the northeast, including northern NJ,  due to a dry cold front dipping down over the region (see this map for a depiction). Northwest winds behind the front kept birds from migrating through, which should lead to some good birding conditions today from Garret Mountain south through the rest of the state.

More and more migrants are showing up each day; so get out there and bird, and please come back and let us know how it was!

Good Birding

David

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SPRING!

Last night the radar was really cranking across the Central, Mississippi and Eastern flyways, as winds were either light and variable, or southerly. Migration was still heaviest in the southern tier of states, with the lightest movement being over the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast. That said, birds clearly moved into the Mid-Atlantic from points south last night. Given the southwest winds over the Delmarva, NJ, and NY, new birds should be apparent at spring migrant traps this morning. Keep an eye up for Broad-winged Hawks, as well, as we saw at least five in Cape May yesterday!!

Unfortunately I cannot post the radar this morning, but I’ll be sure to get it posted sometime later today. In the meantime, today is looking like a gorgeous day for finding some early spring migrants! Blue-headed Vireo anyone? How about Ovenbird?

Good Birding!!

David

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Northwest winds kept migrants from leaving last night, so no changes due to nocturnal migrants is to be expected today. What might come in on the Northwest winds, though? A redirected Swallow-tailed Kite perhaps? Who knows?! Go birding!

Good Birding
David

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The latest cold front has almost cleared the east coast after bringing heavy southerly winds and rain to the region over night. Here’s the radar from sunset last night through 6:00am this morning.

Frames are every 1/2 hour. Click on the thumbnail to view the full-sized animation.

The cold front that caused such a sharp wind gradient yesterday afternoon, came through like a freight train overnight and stopped any migrating birds along the way. Unfortunately (for birders) it looks like the strength of the southerly winds (30+kts in some places) was a bit much for most birds to attempt, and therefore the majority appeared not to start migration after sunset last night. The few birds that did take flight, were grounded by the approaching storms before 2am.

It’s possible that these groundings will be apparent at your local patch, though, especially if you’re in central or northeastern New Jersey. The rule of thumb is, if the rain started coming down in your area after midnight (but better if after 2am), check your local patch. Diversity should be typical of this time of year, but the numbers could be high due to the concentrating effect of the storms and shifting winds.

Your reports are always encouraged, so I look forward to hearing from you later in the day.

Good Birding

David

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Birds Birds Everywhere (on the radar). Excellent migration weather continued last night, as birds made their way up the Mississippi and Eastern Flyways. Here’s the radar from sunset last night through 5:30am this morning.

Frames are every 1/2 hour. Click on the thumbnail to view the full-sized animation.

The radar crapped out again for a couple of hours just after midnight, so you might see some jumpiness in the single-station loops. The regional composite is actually the worst, as therefore doesn’t do a very good job of painting the picture of migration last night. Looking at the national composite (not pictured) it was clear that migration was heaviest in the southern tier of states, and progressively less heavy to the north. Locally, it appears that there was a larger movement through Central and Northern New Jersey last night (see the Fort Dix radar) than either entering the state from the south (see the Dover loop) or leaving to the northeast (see the NYC loop). It also looked like a number of birds left due north, into the woods of southern New York.

As is often the case under such weather patterns (high pressure, clear skies, a lack of weather to concentrate birds, etc.) the best locations will be known spring migrant traps. Given the more NNE trajectory of migrants last night, and the light easterly sea breeze this morning, I would expect Garret Mountain to be the best bet today, while Sandy Hook will probably pale in comparison to yesterday’s great day. The Delaware Bay shore and points along the Delaware River, should be holding some new birds today as well. It looks like we’ll experience another night of migration tonight before the front passes over us and shuts things down for a night or two. Hopefully you can get out there and enjoy the early migrants in your area!

I hope to hear about what you’re seeing- so please stop back and let us know.

Good Birding

David

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The Migration-train, that is. Here’s the radar from sunset last night through 5:30am this morning. For reasons unknown to me, the radar crapped out around midnight last night, and didn’t come back online until around 2:00am, so there are a few images missing from the peak hours of migration in each of the animated loops below.

Frames are every 1/2 hour. Click on the thumbnail to view the full-sized animation.

High pressure over most of the country east of the Mississippi has been giving birds the break they need to quickly make their way up the breeding grounds. Large movements into the Gulf states (TX, LA, MS, AL) and Florida have been consistent over the last two weeks. Additionally, during the last few nights the radar has indicated that the intensity of migration has increased in the central tier of states across this region of the country. Last night we saw a nice flight of migrants into the Mid-Atlantic and the Northeast (up to northern NY), as the southerly flow continued for another evening.

The radar images confirm that most birds were headed in the traditional SW->NE direction, with some increased easterly movement due to the southwest wind component. Skies were clear last night, and thus in the absence of any weather, birds will be well dispersed across the landscape this morning. For the best chance at diversity and density, hit one of the spring migrant traps such as the northwest Delaware Bay shore, Garret Mountain, or Sandy Hook. In fact, of the three, I would probably head for The Hook given the west wind being reported from the local buoy. In the meantime, I’ll be hitting the Villas WMA before heading to work, but I eagerly await any reports from across the region to see whether this pattern we’re seeing on the radar pans out on the ground.

Good Birding!

David

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We should start seeing a little more diversity today, as the Eastern Seaboard got a jolt of migration activity overnight last night. Here’s the radar from sunset last night through 5:00am this morning.

Frames are every 1/2 hour. Click on the thumbnail to view the full-sized animation.

High pressure and southerly winds last night triggered migration from Texas to Florida and all the way up into the Northeast. Unlike previous events, though, the eastern seaboard appears to have gotten a fairer share of this push of birds. While still not a “floodgate” event, birds could be seen entering the Mid-Atlantic on a SW->NE trajectory throughout the night. Reports of night flight call activity support this idea as well, with both Great Blue Heron (T. Reed, New Brunswick, NJ) and Green Heron (G. Davis, Ocean City, NJ) being noted. Migration hotspots should hold new birds today, especially those near the coast such as Sandy Hook. I’ll be hitting Higbee’s via bicycle as a little experiment to see if and when this place can be good during spring migration (okay, so the IF is pretty much worked out- but the WHEN is still up for debate).

Good Birding

David

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Wow, what a difference a day makes! The glorious weather finally made its way eastward yesterday, as the latest cold front (this one being quite dry) pushed to the coast in the early morning hours on Sunday. Northwest winds built in behind it throughout the day, but were no match for the intensity of the sun as far as warmth was concerned. The tail end of that front has pushed back up across NJ today, an effect of the high pressure cells positioned offshore, bringing back a little southerly flow to the region. While the surface winds were indeed light and southerly last night, the upper-level winds were still out of the WNW. As you can see from the radar, last nights flight was less than impressive. Here’s the radar from sunset last night through 5:00am this morning.

Frames are every 1/2 hour. Click on the thumbnail to view the full-sized animation.

The national composite image was having issues last night (many of the radars dropped in and out throughout the period) so I have left that one off, but after viewing it myself, I can say it was pretty light migration across most of the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast. The NYC radar shows very little movement last night (almost none, actually) and both the Fort Dix and Dover stations show a light push over the area. Overall I wouldn’t expect much change on the ground today. Garret Mountain and Sandy Hook would hold the best chances of actually detecting any changes, but the result will likely be subtle at best. Oh well, it’s a great day for going to work (gotta bank those vacation days for the weeks ahead!). If you’re in the area, though, CMBO is leading a walk at the Cape May Meadows at 7:30am. Yesterday we had some good birds there (7 Glossy Ibis, 4 Piping Plovers, 5 American Oystercatchers, 2 Wilson’s Snipe, Great Egret, Blue-winged Teal, etc. etc.), so it’ll be interesting to see any changes in the composition this morning.

Good Birding

David

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I’m making this blog entry the night before because I’m planning to head out of the house well before I would usually post the radar. Therefore I won’t get the radar up on the site until later in the day, but for now I just wanted to make a few comments about the pending weather. As of right now (10:00pm EST) the winds are favorable for a moderate to heavy migration event along the entire Eastern Flyway. Big numbers out of Florida indicate that some of the early long-distance migrants (especially those wintering in the Caribbean) are making their way into the southeast, and good movements from the Carolinas indicate a new influx of short-distance migrants into the mid-Atlantic for tomorrow. With a cold front making its way to the east coast late tonight and into tomorrow, expect more westerly flow to build in and push birds to the coast. Northwest winds should shut this flight down sometime tomorrow morning as well. Spring hotspots, especially those along the East Coast, should be checked tomorrow.

When I get back in from the field, I’ll try and get the radar up. Until then, Good Birding!

David

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Good morning!

last night birds were on the move again, especially along the Eastern Flyway. Here’s the radar from sunset last night through 5:00am this morning.

Frames are every 1/2 hour. Click on the thumbnail to view the full-sized animation.

While migration was apparent across the entire Mid-Atlantic region, southeast winds appear to have favored the inland half of New Jersey last night. You can see from the Fort Dix and Dover radars that noticeably less birds were moving over the eastern half of the state, and most birds completely bypassed the eastern bay shore and the entire southern peninsula. Unfortunately, this appears to be a simple fact of geography, and in the absence of a western component to the wind, most of the birds passing over will do so west of this area. However, Sam Galick and Tom Reed report that they heard nocturnal flight calls from the State Park last night, numbering about 2-3 per minute. This would suggest, then, that some of the birds were probably being missed by the radar as the fog rolled in late last night. Interestingly, the reflectivity does appear to diminish from east to west throughout the night and into this morning, which is definitely atypical under normal conditions (which last night appeared to be). On that note, I’m heading out to The Cape to see what’s around!

Good Birding

David

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