When I initially ended up being a severe birder 15 years back, I wished there was a way to quickly access historical birding information. What could you see at this park in October? That kind of info simply wasnt easily accessible. Came eBird..
Once I started discovering how to determine birds by ear, I wished for a tool that might assist me identify that unusual bird call I was hearing. Then there was Merlin SoundID.
And as I became a die-hard bird geek, I d prepare my spring and fall travel around migration. I knew April-May and September-October were the finest months, however there was no other way to know if any one day or week was going to be particularly good birding. That is … up until BirdCast came along..
BirdCast provides real-time predictions of bird migrations: when birds are moving, where theyre going, and how far theyre flying. The sheer scale of the information is incredible, and it will change the way you bird throughout migration.
From Enemy Aircraft to Birds.
BirdCast utilizes the exact same weather radar information that you d see on your nighttime weather condition broadcast to forecast the numbers and flight instructions of moving birds.
Radar technology was developed to detect opponent aircraft throughout World War II, and then quickly expanded to its present application in weather condition forecasting. Eventually, 2 ornithologists worked out that radar could also identify masses of moving birds.
As computing power and information storage grew, researchers established computer system algorithms to separate bird detections from meteorological phenomena, or airplane, or pests, or perhaps bats. By 2018, the innovation was advanced enough that BirdCast might bring real-time migration forecasts directly to birders in the United States. The freely offered tool is a collaboration in between the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Colorado State University, and UMass Amherst.
( For a more extensive appearance at the history of BirdCast, look here.).
A birder in the beginning light at TNCs Mad Island Marsh Preserve in Texas. © Karine Aigner/ The Nature Conservancy.
Prepared, Set, BirdCast.
The BirdCast site has a variety of tools you can use to up your birding video game:.
Projection maps that predict how much, where, and when bird migration will take place..
Live migration maps that show how much, where, and when migration is happening in real-time..
Migration control panel that offers radar-based measurements of nocturnal bird migration at county and state levels in the contiguous US.
When intense bird migration will take place near you, migration informs that tell you.
We advise starting with the three-day projection maps, which are the very first maps you see on the BirdCast homepage. These maps show the anticipated nighttime migration 3 hours after local sundown. They cover a three-day period (one map per day) and are upgraded every 6 hours. The lighter the color, the more intense migration will be. The maps likewise integrate weather condition systems, which can affect migration at a regional scale..
Simply like weather condition projections, these maps integrate several variables: wind speed, instructions, barometric pressure, temperature, and 25 years of migration data. They should offer you an idea of what migration will appear like over the coming days.
Next, scroll down to the 2nd map, which reveals real-time info on the strength and instructions of migration, as detected by weather condition radar in between local sunset and local daybreak. These maps have a similar color design, noting moving strength, in addition to arrows to show the prevailing flight directions. By striking the “Play” button in the lower left, you can see the live data as the night advances.
If you dont have time to inspect BirdCast every day, you can sign up for the migration informs that alert you when intense migration is happening in your area..
Forecasting runs until November 15, 2022.
More Tools for Bird Nerds.
And while were talking bird tech … If you have not already taken a look at Merlin Sound ID, drop what youre doing and download the app today..
As CGS writer Cara Cannon Byington keeps in mind, Merlin Sound ID resembles Shazam, however for birds. When you hear an unknown bird sound, just open the app and begin recording. Merlin magic does the rest, utilizing spectrograms Cornells vast repository of sound information to recognize whatever youre hearing..
Wait, how does understanding where birds are at night translate into much better birding?.
All of those birds flying overhead have to land each early morning to rest and refuel. Knowing the relative intensity of migration in your location can assist you select the very best days to go out with your binoculars for some migration magic..
Prior to you leave in the morning, check the Migration Dashboard for county-level information. This is the tool that will tell you what to expect at your preferred birding hotspot..
The amount of information here is rather mind-blowing. BirdCast can inform you the number of birds in flight (during the previous night), their flight direction and speed, along with their elevation. And by incorporating eBird data into their forecasts, BirdCast gives users a list of the birds that are flying overhead, and that youre most likely to see during the next days birding..
Birders in Chicago this week must keep their eyes peeled for: American redstart; warbling vireo; common nighthawk; rose-breasted grosbeak; and blackpoll, black-throated-green, palm, and bay-breasted warblers..
Find out more.
Its not an understatement to state that my jaw dropped the very first time I used it. Sound ID presently covers North America and Europe, with prepare for further growths. Im counting down the days until they include Australia.
Now get out and go birding..
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And as I ended up being a die-hard bird geek, I d prepare my spring and fall travel around migration. By 2018, the innovation was advanced enough that BirdCast might bring real-time migration forecasts directly to birders in the United States. These maps reveal the anticipated nocturnal migration 3 hours after local sunset. The lighter the color, the more intense migration will be. Next, scroll down to the second map, which reveals real-time info on the intensity and instructions of migration, as discovered by weather condition radar in between regional sunset and regional daybreak.