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Tracking migrating birds



After a very enjoyable field trip at Howell Woods in Johnston with the
NHAS this weekend (where we were able to see over 60 bird species in
just a few hours- great place!), I checked out a web site for tracking
migrating birds in the southeast at the recommendation of the center
director, Jamie Sasser.

At the following url you can actually see waves of birds as they migrate
through the region:  virtual.clemson.edu/groups/birdrad/.  Actually,
there are links to stations throughout the entire US.  Sites in NC
include Raleigh, Cape Hatteras and Wilmington.  Sites in SC include
Greenville, Columbia and Charleston.  Jamie says that he has actually
gone to sites further south, seen waves of approaching migrating birds
on the NEXRAD, and then had a related influx of birds at Howell Woods. 
Very cool.

The above web site is the location for the Radar Ornithology Laboratory
(ROL) at Clemson University.  It is "devoted to the acquisition and
analysis of radar data as it relates to bird movements in the
atmosphere. Relating radar, field observation, landscape, and weather
data, our laboratory has discovered important factors controlling the
temporal and spatial patterns of daily and seasonal movements of birds.
Our use of the WSR-88D (NEXRAD) weather radar network in the United
States has allowed us to record large-scale migration events and relate
these to topography and weather conditions. The analyses of these data
are allowing the development of predictive models of bird migration for
different regions of the United States."

Marsha Stephens
Computer & Network Support Services
FPG Child Development Center
University of North Carolina
Chapel Hill, NC  27599
(919) 966-4183