Welcome to fall migration season 2019 for BirdCast! Astute observers probably know that migration for individuals of many species has been underway for well over a month, but during this period in August, the first of the larger fall movements to come usually begin. Our 3-day forecast maps returned last night, and the site will be hosting these for the next three to four months. Also, our live migration maps are, well, live, so you can watch as nightly migration progresses through the fall season (note, as in the map below, there are still many insects and bats dominating intensity and direction of movements, go here for some information on that). And following the wettest 12-month period on record for the continental US (you can keep up with other climatic summaries here), anomalously high summer temperatures in Boreal and Arctic regions, and forecasts for above normal temperatures in many places for the coming 90 days (here and here) and anomalous climatic patterns (like a strongly negative North Atlantic Oscillation, see here for more ornithological background), the BirdCast team is eager to see what this fall migration period holds.
