Last night the upper-level winds were out of the northwest across most of the Northeastern US and Mid-Atlantic, while surface winds began to switch around to the ESE. This set the stage for another night of moderate to heavy migration over the region into the early morning hours. 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.

I’m sitting here listening to the live feed from my rooftop microphone as I type this. Over the last half hour I’ve heard over two dozen thrush calls, Veery and Gray-cheeked making up the bulk of them, although I think I had a Swainson’s. Warbler flight calls are fewer, but I did pick out a few American Redstarts. Now I need to wrap this up so I can get out there and see what’s around!

So birds appear to have taken advantage of the optimal migration conditions at higher altitudes last night, and the signal from the Binghamton and Fort Drum radars indicated one of the larger flights out of that region since the big one on September 10-11 (you can read Bill Evan’s post to the Night Flight Call listeserve by clicking here). Migration over the eastern seaboard was on par with two nights ago, and bird densities over New Jersey were definitely higher last night presumably due to the number of birds that had arrived the night before. Interestingly, the Dover radar suggests that migration was truncated over Southern NJ and the Delmarva, presumably because of the late-night switch in wind direction at all elevations (NW->W/WSW at 3000 feet; ESE at the surface). Surface winds over the area ranged from due east, to ESE, and continue at ESE this morning in Cape May. Further north (the Sandy Hook Buoy) winds are out of the east at 5 kts.

So, with the combined moderate to heavy flight over the region, the truncated migration over southern New Jersey, and the easterly component to the winds, this morning is looking pretty good for inland migrant traps across the Garden State. Sites along the Delaware River, such as Palmayra Cove or the National Park Dredge Spoils, should be hopping this morning. Chimney Rock, along the Watchung Ridge, should see some passerines moving down the ridge today as well, although early building south winds at 3000 feet should shut down any hawk flight (and any future nocturnal migration) until after the next front pushes through on Friday afternoon. Coastal locations throughout most of the state will probably see a great reduction in migrants as they move inland, but I’m still holding out for Cape May since I’ve already stuck my neck out a few times yesterday 😉 There are just too many birds around, and the east winds came too late and too light for me to write off this migrant hotspot. So I’m off to find out where birds go around here, when the winds turn east.

Good Birding

David