National Overview
The national composite pretty much says it all (and will have to today, since all other radars have been giving me problems this morning… must be the date!). Migration was hot and heavy up the middle of the U.S. last night with the heaviest returns coming from South Texas and the Great Plains states. Heavy migration was evident over Iowa and many of these birds could actually be seen entering the La Crosse radar in the morning hours (see below). The east coast was quiet as northerly winds aloft coupled with some atmospheric disturbance appear to have kept birds on the ground.
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.
No radar to show for the Mid Atlantic today. No northbound migration was evident over the region although a small amount of southbound reflectivity was apparent heading from Cape May to Lewes, DE and over the Delmarva. The signal was weak but perceptible.
Wisconsin (Upper Midwest)
Frames are every 1/2 hour. Click on the thumbnail to view the full-sized animation.
The Milwaukee radar continues to be down for service while the La Crosse radar continued to show migratory birds hitting the Driftless Area of western Wisconsin. Green Bay (not shown) showed very little in terms of migration as some storms moved through early in the night, so the bulk of migration into and across the state appears to have been confined to the western half. Looking at La Crosse you can see moderate to heavy reflectivity occurring as the night progresses, and a clear influx of birds from the south. You can also see some of the severe thunderstorms moving across Iowa in the bottom edge of the radar loop. Iowa was lighting up last night with migration- and the storms appeared local enough not to put birds down en masse, allowing them to move into Wisconsin today. Based on the migration density I would expect good birding locations at spring hotspots around La Crosse this morning. Birds will be widespread, so check areas known for concentrating migrants along the Mississippi and in forest patches around the city. The heavy migration apparent on the Des Moines, IA and Chicago, IL radars would also suggest new birds throughout southern Wisconsin today, although without the Milwaukee radar it’s hard to comment on the density of the influx. As with La Crosse, though, pick locations known to concentrate spring migrants since no weather barriers were present to cause localized fallout. As always, I encourage you to report back with your sightings.
Good Birding,
David