12 October 2015 – PNW Migration Update

Heavy migration last night as the south winds and occasional rain cell that moved through over the weekend abate. The winds are still out of the south but mainly along the coast and to a lesser extent inland.

I did make it up into the Cascades this weekend.  The big lakes and reservoirs were covered in Mergansers, Common Loons, Western and Horned Grebes.  Western Grebes being in the vast majority of divers.  Good numbers of California Gulls as well.  But away from the water — not much was going on that i could detect.

Looking at the wind map one would expect late migrants taking advantage of the northerly flow down the Central Flyway.  The National Composite Radar shows just that.  I have a snap shot of the flight but i encourage the curious to watch the loop where the movement through Kansas and Nebraska is pretty cool.  You can actually see migrant flocks move through from radar station to radar station.

Here is Cameron’s Winds of the Earth loop, and here is Paul’s archived Radar Composite from last night.

Winds of the Earth

Base Reflectivity – RTX

National Composite Radar

05 October 2015 – PNW Migration Update

I went out this weekend to do some ground proofing.

Snow Geese are now on Sauvie Island,

no signs of Swans along the Columbia,

Ruby Crowned Kinglets are back in numbers and can still be heard singing as they arrive,

shorebird numbers are down,

duck numbers are up; with Rudy Ducks, Common and Hooded Mergansers being the new comers (Buffleheads close out the season in my reckoning),

wintering sparrow numbers are up; with Fox, Lincoln’s, and White-throated all being detected,

DC Cormorant numbers are increasing

and pink footed gulls are beginning to arrive as well.

Migration in the Metro Area last night was light to moderate, but to the north, in the Puget Sound area, there was a heavy flow of birds across the Straights.  So, here it is, your moment of zen:

Base Reflectivity – RTX

Base Reflectivity – ATX