In an attempt to get the radar posted as quickly as possible, I will be publishing “as I go” each morning. Therefore you may see some incomplete posts throughout the early morning hours (5-6am Central; 6-7am Eastern Time). We’ll test out this method for a few weeks and see how well it works… your feedback, of course, is most welcome!

National Overview

The migration highway continues to operate across the central U.S. as a series of low pressure systems march eastward. Migration was heaviest from the Great Plains to the Upper Midwest last night with noticeable shutdown across the northern extent in the early morning hours as heavy precipitation moved in. At the southern end we can also see heavy migration into Texas which most likely represents some longer-distance migrants arriving from the American tropics.

Below are the radar loops from sunset last night through 5:00am this morning

New Jersey (Mid Atlantic)

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

In terms of nocturnal migration, the Mid Atlantic and Northeast are still in a holding pattern. Nothing evident on the NJ radars last night except for some ground clutter.

Wisconsin (Upper Midwest)

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

Migration into the Upper Midwest started off hot and heavy last night with strong, highly concentrated, reflectivity returns ‘blooming’ around each radar after sunset. The consistency in migration across such a broad region, with each radar indicating S->N movement, suggests a large influx of birds into the system this morning. Low pressure did move in early this morning and appears to have brought with it some precipitation and northerly winds which can be seen on both the La Crosse and Green Bay radars. The effect of this system appears to be gradual instead of an abrupt forcing of birds to the ground, so I wouldn’t expect fallout conditions this morning. That said, if you look at the Green Bay radar you might expect higher concentrations around Appleton and the surrounding areas as this appears to be the northern extent of migration early this morning. While the bulk of nocturnal migration biomass is typically tied up in woodland songbirds (especially when averaged over the season), many waterbirds (ducks, geese, herons, egrets, etc.) do migrate at night and may have been a part of last night’s event. Therefore make sure to check inland water bodies for new arrivals of migrating waterfowl (especially). Expect increasing numbers of short-distance migrants and the continued arrival of early season longer-distance migrants today, especially in the southern half of the state.

Good Birding,

 

David