Fall migration is underway and you can track it on Birdcast.info. Bird migration forecasts show predicted nocturnal migration 3 hours after local sunset and are updated every 6 hours. These forecasts come from models trained on the last 23 years of bird movements in the atmosphere as detected by the US NEXRAD weather surveillance radar network. In these models, the Global Forecasting System (GFS) is used to predict suitable conditions for migration. These maps also show precipitation forecasts (outlined and shown in grayscale). Note that areas forecast to experience precipitation and bird migration may overlap, and predictions for migration intensity may be highly variable in these locations. Fall migration tracking will end on November 15, 2021. Tracking will resume with Spring migration in 2022.
BirdCast is a consortium of interdisciplinary researchers with a growing list of collaborators, supporters, and partners. Colorado State University and the Cornell Lab of Ornithology currently produce these forecasts. Leon Levy Foundation, Edward W. Rose Postdoctoral Fellowship, and the Marshall Aid Commemoration Commission supported this research, with additional support from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and the University of Oklahoma. The BirdCast project was created with grant awards from the National Science Foundation and subsequently supported by awards from Leon Levy Foundation.
