NEXRAD ornithology (a quick how to)

["Paul Champlin" <skua99@hotmail.com>]

Hi Folks,

I'm sure many of you know that you can read NEXRAD radar velocity echos to 
watch bird movements on a grand scale (BIRDCAST and all that), but for those 
who have not been given directions, here's how to do it yourself: (note that 
this works mostly at night since that's when more birds move. It goes back a 
few years but is still fun to do… look at Cape May, Pelee or Cape Cod on a 
NW wind at about 9 at night).

First open one internet explorer, netscape (or whatever browser you use). 
Put the following in the address window and click "go" (or hit enter or 
whatever to go there):

http://virtual.clemson.edu/groups/birdrad/RADAR.HTM

(Yes it's a Clemson site… Reflectivity center of the ornithological world)

Now click on "velocity". Here you will  see a map of the US with dots. Click 
on the dot nearest you (or where you would like to see bird movement)  and 
you will see red and green color-fields (unless unavailable). Granted there 
is no rain where you are looking, the green area represents birds flying 
toward the radar center (INBOUND birds) and the red dots are birds moving 
away from the radar (OUTBOUND birds… see the table of "knots" for actual 
speed of movement.  Then open a new browser window
(File->new) and enter (go to) the following:

http://www.intellicast.com/LocalWeather/World/UnitedStates/RadarLoop/

and click on "radar loop". This will show you rain that might interfere with 
your bird velocity-watching.
Then, in yet ANOTHER browser window, go to:

http://www.intellicast.com/LocalWeather/World/UnitedStates/WINDcast/d1_00/

and check out the wind directions. You will see how bird movement and wind 
do and don't coincide. Tonight I see that there are some confused birds out 
there, flying north and away from the coast in SC/GA due to the easterlies 
and I also see that the northerlies in New England are sending VT birds 
north.

This evening I followed the coast migration down from New England and saw 
that everything was moving along the coast until Jacksonville, NC, where the 
direction of bird movement heads BACK northeast toward the outer banks with 
the outbound bird numbers and velocities being fewer and less widespread 
than inbound meaning they must be dropping in).

Have fun!
Paul Champlin
New Ellenton, SC


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