Friday, November 2, 2007
Winter's arrival to the mid-Atlantic
posted by David La Puma | 8:21 AM
Hey Birdchasers.
Fall migration is quickly turning into winter migration, as seabirds and ducks make their way south along the coast, and Red-tailed Hawks, Golden Eagles, and Northern Goshawks become the raptors du jour from inland ridge tops. While nocturnal migration is less diverse as we transition from autumn leaves to snowy fields; large flocks of winter passerines are still making their way south into the Mid-Atlantic. November can be a wonderful time to see large numbers of these cold-hearty birds. White-throated Sparrows, Hermit Thrushes, and Northern Flickers, to name a few.
The woods out here in Somerset New Jersey are noisy with the resident chickadees (not sure which one…we're in the hybrid zone), Tufted Titmice and White-breasted Nuthatches. The Eastern Red Ceder stands are full of both Ruby-crowned and Golden-crowned Kinglets, and I'm hopeful they will host a few Northern Saw-whet Owls this winter, given the already high numbers of birds making their way into the US from Canada.
If there ever was a winter to start birding, this may be the one.
Stay warm and bird hard.
David (woodcreeper.com)
Interested in raptor and/or seabird numbers? check out the View from the Field for daily counts from the Avalon Seawatch
Want to know what's headed our way? I usually check Derek Lovitch's Maine Birding Blog on MaineToday.com
Of course, you can spend all day searching the regional bird lists and rare bird alerts on Jack Siler's birdingonthe.net
Fall migration is quickly turning into winter migration, as seabirds and ducks make their way south along the coast, and Red-tailed Hawks, Golden Eagles, and Northern Goshawks become the raptors du jour from inland ridge tops. While nocturnal migration is less diverse as we transition from autumn leaves to snowy fields; large flocks of winter passerines are still making their way south into the Mid-Atlantic. November can be a wonderful time to see large numbers of these cold-hearty birds. White-throated Sparrows, Hermit Thrushes, and Northern Flickers, to name a few.
The woods out here in Somerset New Jersey are noisy with the resident chickadees (not sure which one…we're in the hybrid zone), Tufted Titmice and White-breasted Nuthatches. The Eastern Red Ceder stands are full of both Ruby-crowned and Golden-crowned Kinglets, and I'm hopeful they will host a few Northern Saw-whet Owls this winter, given the already high numbers of birds making their way into the US from Canada.
Migration forecast
While my migration forecasts will be less frequent than in the fall, I will try and get the word out for significant migration weather as it approaches. The next few nights are calling for strong northeast to northerly winds, and last night the radar indicated a strong push of migrants into the Mid-Atlantic region. Along with the previously mentioned winter passerines, birders should be finding Red-breasted Nuthatches, Pine Siskins and Evening Grosbeaks, as they are being reported more frequently each day. Keep an eye out for Bohemian Waxwing, Pine Grosbeak, Northern Shrike, and Common Redpoll since they are already showing up ahead of schedule in the Northeast.If there ever was a winter to start birding, this may be the one.
Stay warm and bird hard.
David (woodcreeper.com)
Useful Links:
Interested in raptor and/or seabird numbers? check out the View from the Field for daily counts from the Avalon Seawatch
Want to know what's headed our way? I usually check Derek Lovitch's Maine Birding Blog on MaineToday.com
Of course, you can spend all day searching the regional bird lists and rare bird alerts on Jack Siler's birdingonthe.net
<< Home