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
6 responses to “Heavy migration across the US last night”
I checked the radar last night and it was lit up around midnight.
This morning there were probably double the number of birds on the ground compared to yesterday.
Subject: huge flight last night (SE PA). FOS singing Wood Thrush, American Redstart, Ovenbird, Red-Eyed Vireo
From: Andrew Albright
Date: Fri, 30 Apr 2010 04:57:25 -0700
Andorra Natural Area, Philadelphia.
I checked the radar last night at midnight and it was lit up like a Xmas tree.
This morning I recorded my FOS singing Wood Thrush. 3 were singing and then I
ran into a small flock of 5+ thrushes on the ground.
All of the following birds were not singing (or probably present) yesterday.
2 Ovenbirds
2 American Redstarts
1 Red-Eyed Vireo
Thursday I recorded one Grey Catbird mimicking away. This morning there were a
ton. For about a week every year this is a really cool bird.
Also, large new flocks of sparrows invaded.
A great morning to be out!
Andrew Albright
albrigh_1999 AT yahoo.com
Lafayette Hill, PA
Liberty State Park was hopping with many birds putting in at sunrise:
15+ species of Warblers inc:
Tennessee, Hooded, Blackburnian, B&W-many, Parula-many, BT Green-many
Scarlet Tanager, Thrushes, Vireos, Glossy Ibis, Bank Swallow, Solitary and Spotted Sandpipers, Laughing Gulls etc
Yep, Liberty State Park was a good place to be this morning. Birds everywhere.
@Simon – I didn’t get the Scarlet Tanager, but had a Rose-breasted Grosbeak. Also missed the Hooded.
I’m guessing Sandy Hook will be good tomorrow morning if the winds stay W/SW tonight.
Wow, just wow. At Garret today our group of 4 saw 20 warbler species and heard reports of 1-2 more. The numbers were also very high. Very early birds were Tennessee & Canada warblers. Hoping tomorrow continues the great birding
Migration was excellent down here in Gloucester County this morning. And that’s not always the case on light SW winds and calm. The birds lots of times just keep heading north. Anyway, my big surprise was the different composition of species at 2 areas I hit. The areas are only 2 miles apart or so. Both along the Delaware River. And both what I consider to be the same type of habitat.
Wheelabrator Refuge – for 2 hours – just the new birds in whether breeders are migrants:
2 GREAT CRESTED FLYCATCHERS
8 HERMIT THRUSHES
4 GRAY CATBIRDS
2 WHITE-EYED VIREOS
6 WARBLING VIREOS
1 RED-EYED VIREO
2 NORTHERN PARULAS
4 YELLOW WARBLERS
2 BLACK and WHITE WARBLERS
1 OVENBIRD
10 COMMON YELLOWTHROATS
6 ORCHARD ORIOLES – all males
2 BALTIMORE ORIOLES
Now for an hour around the north woods at the National Park dredge spoils. Has proven itself the better migrant area in the county before and today was no exception:
2 RUBY-CROWNED KINGLETS
20 GRAY CATBIRDS
5 WARBLING VIREOS
2 RED-EYED VIREOS
1 BLUE-WINGED WARBLER
2 NORTHERN PARULAS
2 YELLOW WARBLERS
1 BLACK-THROATED BLUE WARBLER
30+ YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLERS
1 BLACK-THROATED GREEN WARBLER
5 BLACK and WHITE WARBLERS
1 REDSTART
1 NORTHERN WATERTHRUSH
1 KENTUCKY WARBLER – wow. It’s not a breeder here.
3 COMMON YELLOWTHROATS
1 YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT
1 SCARLET TANAGER
1 ROSE-BREASTED GROSBEAK
1 BALTIMORE ORIOLE
I had my first Ovenbirds, BTG Warblers, and Eastern Kingbird in Kunkletown, PA this morning.