Migration over the Mid-Atlantic

After a few night of little to no migration, birds are on their way. Last night the first of two cold fronts made its way from west to east across the region, bringing with it southeast winds on the leading edge, and northwest winds behind it. Needless to say, birds west of the front took advantage of the optimal conditions, and heavy migration was apparent across the Northeast last night. As the front cleared the coast early this morning, some birds behind the front could be seen making their way into southern New Jersey and the Delmarva peninsula (as can be seen in my post from this morning on www.woodcreeper.com). Heavy migration was also evident further south along the eastern flyway; all the way through Florida and into the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean (images of birds migrating through Florida and leaving the Florida coast for Cuba and Mexico can be seen on Badbirdz-Reloaded).

Short-term forecast

Because the next cold front is so close behind the one that just passed, there won't be time for strong northwest winds to build in before the next front reached our area. So, for tonight we expect light west to northwest winds with some chance of precipitation. We'll have to watch the radar and see how desperate birds are to leave tonight. If they do, I would expect good densities along the coast tomorrow given the west wind component.

Long-term outlook

The next cold front will clear our area Thursday morning, and northwest winds will build in behind the front, opening the region for some heavy migration on Thursday night. Friday night is looking even more interesting, as a large low-pressure cell associate with the front makes its way east, and sets up a strong WNW -> ESE convection which could bring high densities of birds from the west into the eastern states.

In the meantime, sparrows are on the rise, both Kinglets are arriving in large numbers (I can hear both Ruby-crowned and Golden-crowned outside my window as I type this!) and the "late warblers" are arriving en masse (I saw good numbers of both Palms and Yellow-rumped in New York City yesterday). Birding is good, and you can still do it in shorts and t-shirt…okay, maybe a sweatshirt…

Good Birding

David (www.woodcreeper.com)