The birds, that is. Winds started out light and westerly and quickly moved southerly, although still light. Birds took advantage of the conditions resulting in heavy migration into the northern part of the state via New York. Here’s the radar from sunset last night through 5:30am this morning.
Frames are every 1/2 hour for reflectivity and velocity, and every hour for the regional composite. Click on the thumbnail to view the full-sized animation.
The Fort Dix radar is easier to interpret, as directionality is less of a question based on the velocity image (the key for discerning birds vs. other biological data). Birds can be seen moving N–>S, even though there is a whole lot of noise coming from the opposing winds and whatever was being blown around in the atmosphere (dust, pollen, etc.). The dover radar is somewhat less straightforward as the direction of movement is totally obscured by the wind direction and therefore I’ll take a “leap of faith” when I say that birds were indeed making up most of this signal. The composite is probably the most telling, with a large front of birds moving south across the entire northeast. Winds over New York were more favorable, and migration across these radars (not pictured) did show a strong NW–>SE trajectory. Expect good birding conditions across the region today, with very good conditions possible at Sandy Hook and the northern half of the state. Predictability of the southern half is shakier (see above), but I think it’s got a good shot. Any and all reports are encouraged so come on by after your day in the field!
Come check out my migration forecast for the Mid-Atlantic on Birdcapemay.org
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Good Birding
David
Posted by: David La Puma
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