Radar Overnight August 20, 2015
This is a radar image from overnight on August 20-21, 2015. As you can see there were a lot of birds in the air moving south from the Mid-Atlantic as far west as this image goes. The cold front and associated heavy rain and thunderstorms that brought the helpful northerly winds was advancing from the eastern Mid-Atlantic slowly into New England. They are really coming now! As we near September the volume and diversity of species heading south will build for us. Get out there this weekend and go find some “fall” migrants.
Read MoreMigration – August 12, 2015
Here is the migration map – also known as the radar of the eastern continental United States – a few hours after sunset here on August 12, 2015. Avian targets, along with undoubtedly a few insects and bats, were mostly active in the southern regions where the wind is more consistently out of the north. For those of us in the Northeast we have a flow pushing birds to the Atlantic Coast, a typical occurrence for the fall. In another month the winds will be stronger and skies will be fuller. For now you can keep expecting to find birds like Bobolink, Orchard Oriole, Northern...
Read MoreMonarchs Moving
It is really starting to turn into a good couple of weeks for Monarch butterflies in their expected migratory hotspots, especially along the Atlantic coast, with more individuals like this one being seen feeding and flying every day. Whether it is on a clover, some goldenrod, a sunflower, coneflowers or many more pollinator plants not coated in chemicals these insects are getting the fuel they need to keep moving south. Sunny and calm weather means conducive conditions for flights, and likely means more of them survive their journey. I don’t know about you but the fact they have become...
Read More“Fall” Radar Migration
Welcome to fall migration season, and it is heating up already! These radar grabs from Buffalo and Upton, New York show you some avian migration after the cold front passage a couple days ago. Thursday night into Friday morning saw the arrival of new birds for many areas as flycatchers, vireos, warblers, shorebirds, swallows, blackbirds and more are hitting various staging and roosting areas, following coasts on nonstop trips, or slowly making their way south across our lands. All of the blues and darker greens you see are mostly birds with some insects mixed in. Bright greens, yellow,...
Read MoreJuvenile Tree Swallows
You know the summer is rolling along when fall migration begins! Huh? Here are a couple of juvenile Tree Swallows, and many others of their species plus Barn, Bank, Cliff and Northern Rough-winged Swallows are already heading to the south here in July.
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