OHIO-BIRDS Archives

September 2010

OHIO-BIRDS@LISTSERV.MIAMIOH.EDU

Options: Use Monospaced Font
Show Text Part by Default
Show All Mail Headers

Message: [<< First] [< Prev] [Next >] [Last >>]
Topic: [<< First] [< Prev] [Next >] [Last >>]
Author: [<< First] [< Prev] [Next >] [Last >>]

Print Reply
Subject:
From:
Greg Miller <[log in to unmask]>
Reply To:
Greg Miller <[log in to unmask]>
Date:
Fri, 3 Sep 2010 04:22:24 -0700
Content-Type:
text/plain
Parts/Attachments:
text/plain (76 lines)
Howdy All!

Interesting weather is ahead this weekend for Ohio birders.  Normally, a
hurricane coming up the East Coast would alert us to the possibility of birds
from the Southeast U.S. or even a pelagic straggler.  But that is probably not
going to be the case this weekend.  A powerful low pressure system centered over
Lake Superior is affecting currents in the Jet Stream at a very high level.  In
fact, it appears that it is actually affecting the course of Hurricane Earl,
keeping it further off the coast.  Cooler air will enter Ohio this weekend from
the low pressure over Lake Superior; not air pulled down from the North by the
hurricane.


What does this mean for Ohio birders?  Winds from the surface up to 5000 feet
will sweep down from Central Canada into the Eastern Great Plains and come
directly from the *West* into Ohio.  What can we expect to see?  I don't know.
This pattern is unknown to me.  I don't ever remember seeing this.  I've watched
weather on the surface for years.  But this is my first year observing airflow
patterns from 300 feet (most land bird migrants) to 5000 feet (many shorebird
migrants).

So I perused some of the listservs from the Eastern Great Plains and states west
of us to find out what birds were moving right now.  From that information (plus
some daydreaming) I have put together the following list of interesting birds to
look for this weekend:

White-faced Ibis
Black-bellied Whistling-Duck
Mississippi Kite
Swainson's Hawk
Piping Plover
American Avocet
Upland Sandpiper
Whimbrel
Long-billed Curlew
Hudsonian Godwit
Marbled Godwit
Western Sandpiper
Baird's Sandpiper
Stilt Sandpiper
Buff-breasted Sandpiper
Wilson's Phalarope
Red-necked Phalarope
Long-billed Jaeger
Black Tern
Olive-sided Flycatcher
Yellow-bellied Flycatcher
Western Kingbird
Philadelphia Vireo
Golden-winged Warbler
Mourning Warbler
Clay-colored Sparrow
Lark Sparrow
Dickcissel
Yellow-headed Blackbird

Of course, none of these birds may show up in any increased numbers.  I just
don't know.  But I found this weather pattern to be distinctly interesting at
this time of year.  The most interesting days (weather-wise) will be Saturday
and Sunday and to lesser extent, Monday.

Good birding to everyone who's getting out this weekend!

-Greg Miller
Sugarcreek, OH

______________________________________________________________________

Ohio-birds mailing list, a service of the Ohio Ornithological Society.
Our thanks to Miami University for hosting this mailing list.
Additional discussions can be found in our forums, at www.ohiobirds.org/forum/.

You can join or leave the list, or change your options, at:
http://listserv.muohio.edu/scripts/wa.exe?LIST=OHIO-BIRDS
Send questions or comments about the list to: [log in to unmask]

ATOM RSS1 RSS2