Just in time for the biggest birding event in the… (dare I say it??). Here’s the radar from sunset last night through 5:00am this morning.

Frames are every 1/2 hour. Click on the thumbnail to view the full-sized animation.

The weather really took shape last night, bringing high densities of migrants to the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast in general, and the Garden State in particular. Surface winds really triggered this flight, as the winds aloft were out of the northwest. Given the southeasterly component to the surface winds, it does appear that the upper-level winds played a part in this movement- as many birds were seen over the Cape May peninsula, and heading out over Sandy Hook early this morning. Surface winds continue out of the SW this morning over Sandy Hook, so expect a great day at this gem of a migrant trap. The entire state is fair game today, as migration was widespread- but migrant traps such as Garret Mountain should hold higher-than-average numbers of migrants. Central and Prospect parks in NYC should also be teaming with birds this morning, as early morning weather seems to have put birds down over Manhattan. More importantly (maybe), though, is the most recent forecast for Game Day…

Right now all three of the forecast models appear to be converging on one excellent (for migration and birding) solution… in general, it looks like the upper level and surface winds will be blowing out of the west and southwest respectively. While the previous forecast indicated too much northwest for me to think “heavy migration”, the recent forecast has the upper-level winds turning WSW early tomorrow night… it’s looking like a GO for Friday night into Saturday Morning! For those of us doing the Big Day on Cape Island only, you may be in luck too- as northwest winds will build in at all altitudes after 2am. While we expect those winds to halt migration further north (bringing birds down into our favorite hotspots by morning) northwest winds have an additive effect in Cape May, tending to bring with them migrants that have overshot their intended goals (such as Mississippi and Swallow-tailed Kites), and those birds that have wandering tendencies (such as Cattle Egrets). Oh, the playing field is looking good!

This will probably be my last post until Sunday, as I’ll be starting our state route at midnight with my team, the Scarlet Knight Herons– so until then, good birding, good last-minute scouting, and GOOD LUCK! I’m sure Mike will be updating the blog at CMBO, and you can keep up with the Cornell Redheads and Sapsuckers via their Facebook pages… they’ve been quite entertaining to follow through their adventures in pre-gaming. Thanks to all of the other teams for helping out with scouting- it really has been a fun collabo-competitive endeavor.  We will see you in the field tomorrow- and at the finish line soon thereafter.
Cheers,

David