National Overview
As the latest string of fronts march across the U.S., contrasting zones of favorable and non-favorable migration conditions are apparent on the nightly radar. Here’s the image taken around midnight last night. What stands out to me in this snapshot is the continued arrival of birds up from Mexico into South Texas, the flight along the western Gulf Coast, more birds heading out of Florida Eastern Georgia, and some movement into the Mid-Atlantic and Upper Midwest (how convenient!).
Below are the radar loops from sunset last night through 5:00am this morning
New Jersey (Mid-Atlantic)
Frames are every 1/2 hour. Click on the thumbnail to view the full-sized animation.
My Alma mater is finally getting some birds! Migration over the Mid-Atlantic was concentrated along the Delmarva Peninsula and New Jersey last night. The Dover radar indicated a moderate to heavy flight heading to the northeast, taking the bulk of the birds over the northeastern corner of the Delaware Bay. You can actually see birds choose to cross over between Lewes and Cape May and more so near the mouth of the Delaware River, suggesting that birds are choosing to cross at the most narrow points between the two landmasses. Seeing birds going over Cape May, though, suggests that southern New Jersey will finally get an influx of migrants today. It looks like some early morning fog and calm winds could mean good birding conditions across the state today, with Cape May, Sandy Hook and Garret Mountain all producing new birds. Now get out there!
Wisconsin (Upper Midwest)
Frames are every 1/2 hour. Click on the thumbnail to view the full-sized animation.
Wisconsin and most of the Upper Midwest experienced a mix of precipitation and migration last night with the largest apparent movement coming out of Iowa. The Des Moines radar is the one you see all lit up in the national composite above, and reviewing the individual radar data showed that birds were headed SE->NW across that radar. Here in Wisconsin we saw migration across both radar stations (seems to be the rule rather than the exception lately!) with La Crosse showing a little more northwestern movement than Milwaukee (which was more S->N). This may bode well for birders in the Driftless Area and farther northwest, but for those of us down in south-central it looks like another day of birds dispersed across the landscape. If you decide to venture out in the wet stuff, stick to the spring hotspots for the best chance of diversity and density. Please report back with your observations and let us know what you saw!
Good Birding
David