Bird Migration on Radar – March 31
Here is a radar grab of the eastern United States from just after midnight today with light bird migration occurring from the deep south all the way through Maine. A warm front had lifted through the Northeast while areas of heavy rain and thunderstorms associated with a soon to come cold front stretched across the Midwest. Areas near Georgia into the Carolinas and Delmarva appear to have had moderate migration occurring. At this time of the year we have everything from ducks to wintering friends like the Dark-eyed Junco to early arrivals like Pine Warbler, both kinglets, Chipping Sparrow,...
Read MoreEastern Phoebe
Here is a Throwback Thursday to a little more color! I photographed this Eastern Phoebe (Sayornis phoebe) around a month ago with the fall foliage still just beginning to change. It will be a while before we see that sort of green background again, but these birds could have stayed here for longer than usual with all the insects we still have in the air thanks to continued warmth. You never know, some may still be here…check out any hotspots, literally, and you could find some very late birds. Scott Kruitbosch Conservation & Outreach Coordinator
Read MoreEastern Phoebe
The Eastern Phoebe (Sayornis phoebe) is one of October migration’s best known sights as the little flycatcher pours through our region. The “right” day can yield numbers into the dozens at times in appropriate habitats. What is the latest you have ever seen one hanging on in the Northeast? One or two are regularly found on some very chilly Christmas Bird Counts.
Read MoreLess Common Yellowthroats
What a difference a day makes! Yesterday, October 1, changed both the calendar and the composition of life as nocturnal migration slammed a lot of areas in the lower Northeast and Mid-Atlantic with some of those really autumnal avian sightings. I had my first of fall White-throated Sparrows and Dark-eyed Juncos along with dozens of Eastern Phoebes. I also picked up a Lincoln’s Sparrow to start off the most sparrow month of the year. Warblers are starting to thin out and turn over to later migrating species, and the now less Common Yellowthroats like this one are becoming a bit more...
Read MoreRadar Migration Overnight April 3, 2015
Here’s a radar grab from the overnight period of April 2 into April 3, 2015. As you can see precipitation is moving across the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic with heavier waves to the west and lighter showers to the east. Midwestern areas had strong and severe thunderstorms while the Atlantic Coast especially had moderate avian migration occurring – see the diffuse and circular areas of blue centered around radar stations contrasting with the green rain. Birds avoiding this wet weather included a lot of sparrows like the White-throated Sparrow, Dark-eyed Junco, Song Sparrow and Swamp...
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