Birding Forecast Cape May Bird Observatory
Map by Point Source using radar data from the National Weather Service , Radar 4 GIS

At-a-Glance Key

Thursday, May 29, 2008
Migration Forecast for May 29 to June 2 (UPDATED)
posted by David La Puma | 9:00 AM


At-a-Glance Forecast






















Thu.PMFri.AMFri.PMSat.AMSat.PMSun.AMSun.PMMon.AM



Birds are on the move as of 10:30pm on Saturday night, but only light to moderate levels... thunderstorms are lacking as well, but northwest winds early tomorrow morning will shut down migration after midnight...

UPDATED 5/31/08 @ 11:33PM

New forecast models have the cold front moving offshore by Saturday night, restricting migration to Friday and Saturday nights, and making for nice birding weather on both Sunday and Monday. I've updated the forecast for Sunday night and Monday morning accordingly. I'm still leaving in the possibility for fallout conditions on Sunday morning, but if thunderstorms build in before sunset, this could seriously truncate any large-scale migration on Saturday night. I'll post an update here on Saturday night (10:00pm) when it becomes clearer whether birds took to the skies.


Migration Weather Forecast

The next few days are shaping up for a late-May combo of heavy migration and severe thunderstorms, which could lead to fallout conditions for parts of the mid-Atlantic by the end of the weekend.

Thursday Night

Clear skies and light westerly winds will allow some birds to move through the mid-Atlantic on Thursday night. West winds should favor coastal locations for Friday morning.

Friday Night

As the next cold front pushes eastward on Friday, winds will turn from west to south and open the migration floodgates once more. Clear skies on Friday night should also allow for unimpeded migration over the mid-Atlantic.

Saturday Night

By Saturday night the cold front and associated low pressure system will move over the mid-Atlantic, setting up southwesterly wind gradient and triggering heavy thunderstorm activity across the region. If we're lucky, migration will begin well before thunderstorm activity, increasing our chance for fallout conditions on Sunday morning.

Sunday Night

New forcast information indicates that the front will be offshore by Sunday night, and northwest winds will dominate the region. This should effectively shut down migration over the mid-Atlantic on Sunday night.

Birding Forecast

Friday Morning

Due to the west winds on Thursday night, coastal migrant hotspots should be the best bets for Friday morning. Migration is expected to be moderate, at best, so changes in density or diversity may be difficult to detect anywhere else.

Saturday Morning

Heavy migration on clear skies Friday night will lead to migrants being highly dispersed across the landscape on Saturday morning. Therefore, spring migrant traps across the region will be the best bet for Saturday.

Sunday Morning

Sunday morning is the day to watch! With heavy migration expected, and severe thunderstorms predicted, the combination could spell excellent birding on Sunday. The telltale sign will be a lack of heavy precipitation early in the evening when birds start migrating, and then heavy precipitation anytime after midnight but before sunrise. Check back here on Saturday night for an updated migration alert at the top of this page.

Monday Morning

With the cold front off the east coast and northwest winds blowing on Sunday night, no new birds are expected on Monday morning. Clear skies and nice weather, though, will make for comfortable birding conditions.

As always, to find more information on what's being seen TODAY in Cape May, check out the View From the Cape, on BirdCapeMay.org

Good Birding,

David La Puma