Hurricane Sandy is now forecast to make landfall around 7AM on Tuesday morning in the northern DelMarVa peninsula. The storm’s track takes it North and West toward central Pennsylvania and eventually Lake Erie. Birders in Cape May may be extremely well positioned for birds and for dangerous conditions – the northeast quadrant of the storm will pass right over Cape May with the current track, suggesting the strongest winds and probably large storm surge may occur there. No doubt countless birders will focus on this area – please be safe and exercise extreme caution if you are birding in, near, or around the storm as it passes. Safety is the top priority! Birders inland in Delaware and western Maryland west and north into central and western Pennsylvania should expect storm-driven birds on inland bodies of water, including possibly following the Potomac and fly back toward the ocean through Chesapeake and Delaware Bays. Watch for tube noses, possibly including numbers of inland Leach’s Storm-Petrels and maybe even Pterodromas, Magnificent Frigatebird, White-tailed Tropicbird, Laughing Gull, Sandwich and Royal Terns (possibly Onychoprion terns) and jaegers. And don’t forget to keep an eye to the sky for aerialists like martins, swallows, and swifts: Purple Martin and Chimney Swift may not be the most likely candidates so bring your camera! More details will be posted here and on eBird in the coming days. This post comes from discussions with Marshall Iliff and includes, albeit briefly, some of his musings.
5-day track, 11AM, 26 October 2012
