March 7, 2007
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Dr.
David Aborn
|
Dear
Students:
Last week I told you how to read a weather map (revisit his
lesson >>)
and how weather affects bird migration. I mentioned that there was a
strong cold front moving across the country, and as it did so the storms
ahead of it and north winds behind it would force birds to land. Well,
that prediction held up. While it is still too early to see large fallouts
or a great diversity of species, there were still signs that migration
is underway.
The Migration is Underway!
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Common
Yellowthroat
|
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Northern
Parula
|
Swallows were the most numerous sightings, with over 200 Tree Swallows being seen in California on March 1st, along with a few Violet-green Swallows. Tree Swallows and Northern Rough-winged Swallows were seen in New Mexico, and Arizona had a couple of the early warblers with a Louisiana Waterthrush and a Black-and-white Warbler being seen.
As
the front moved east over the next couple of days, migrant sightings
continued all along the Gulf coast. Louisiana had some more early warblers;
a Yellow-throated Warbler and a Northern Parula. They also reported
a very early Great-crested Flycatcher. Florida had Barn Swallows and
Northern Rough-winged Swallows, and also reported some early Great-crested
Flycatchers. Here in Tennessee, there were swallow reports all over
the state, and a Common Yellowthroat was seen in the Nashville area.
I know there are more migrants where these came from!
What
Will the Weather Bring this Week?
So what does this week hold in store? Well, the cold front that came
through last week is stalled and is expected to move back north as a
warm front. This means southerly winds and the dry conditions mean clear
skies, which all adds up to good flying weather.
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Weather Map for Mar. 6, 2007 Credit: Weather .com |
Many of the birds that landed after the cold front will
be able continue migrating north, so I expect that the Midwest and mid-Atlantic
regions will start seeing a few migrants, especially swallows. Areas
farther south can expect to see more migrants arriving from the tropics,
but no fallouts. There is another front that is moving in from the Pacific
later this week, but it is not a strong one. There will be some rain
and northerly winds, which will still cause some birds to land, but it
will not be a major event. Nonetheless, migration picking up, so there
will more and more to see over the coming weeks. It is an exciting time
of year!
Take Care,
David
Aborn
North Chickamauga Creek Conservancy
Chattanooga, TN
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