Last night was an example of how birds will continue to migrate even when conditions are less than optimal. Here are the base reflectivity and velocity from sunset yesterday through sunrise this morning. Clear skies apparently trumped light Northeast winds, as birds are seen leaving New Jersey. The velocity shows birds moving in a northeast direction, directly into the 5-10kt winds. You can see the effect of this headwind in the velocity data, which shows birds migrating around 5 – 15 kts, about 10 kts slower than some of the larger movements earlier this month which had a southerly component to the wind.

Click here for a national composite showing all the NEXRAD stations across America. This snapshot was taken around 3am this morning. Whereas we were experiencing light northeast winds, the entire central flyway to our west, and the western portion of the eastern flyway to our north, were experiencing light southerly winds. The difference in migration activity in those places with optimal migration conditions is quite obvious!

Birding forecast and Outlook
Clear skies and light and variable winds with a northeast component are expected to continue over the next few days. This will provide good conditions for migration, although not optimal, so migration should continue at levels around what we saw last night. No precipitation is expected, so birds will not be forced into high concentrations at specific locales, therefore birding will likely be best at the tried-and-true spring hotspots.

Good Birding!