Migration to the south, storms from the west

Regional Overview

Scattered rain and storms moved across the region from the west, blocking any type of broad movement of migrants last night.

With limited migration the last two nights, the best spots to look for warblers and other migrants are areas with abundant food resources. No new birds were arriving in the region, but by the same token, birds were also not leaving and so they should be spread across the landscape looking to restock body fat as they look forward to better migration conditions tonight.

Forecast

Tonight looks to be more conducive to southbound migration. After two days of little movement, a lot of birds will be taking advantage of the change in weather. If you can get to a quiet area to listen, you should be able to detect a lot of birds moving, particularly thrushes and sparrows.

I don’t always have time to comment on the radar in each state. To interpret it yourself, read the quick tutorial at the bottom of the page.

New York

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Pennsylvania & New Jersey

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Ohio

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Spots along Lake Erie in Ohio may have experienced a moderate influx as some birds moved between storms and cross the lake, only to be met by more rain. I think there is a good chance of some fallout conditions along the lake so check known migrant hotspots. Elsewhere in the state was pretty quiet due to the rain.


Maryland and Delaware

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Prediction coming soon…


Quick guide to interpreting the radar

On the top row (reflectivity radar), the images show the magnitude of migration. When birds are migrating, it looks like a donut shape around the center of the radar station.

The bottom row is the velocity radar. This shows the direction that the objects detected by the radar station are moving. Blues are moving towards the radar station, yellows and reds are moving away from the station. So for southbound migration, blue should be on the top half of the donut, yellow on the bottom half.

Watch for precipitation moving through during the night hours, this can cause birds to stop migrating in a concentrated area, creating the fabled ‘fallout’, particularly on nights with strong migration.

For more in depth info, watch this video.
For migration updates or other regions check-

Pac NW – Birds Over Portland by Greg Haworth

I need your help! These reports will only be as good as the feedback I get on these updates. Please leave comments on interesting patterns of migration you are seeing in the field so I can incorporate some ground truthing to my forecasts and predictions. Thanks!