Outdoor Ontario

Discussion => General Discussions => Topic started by: tellin on May 10, 2008, 09:33:42 PM

Title: weather and birding
Post by: tellin on May 10, 2008, 09:33:42 PM

I was wondering what the ideal weather conditions are for birding during the spring migration - is it after inclement or rainy weather? How do experienced birders decide when conditions are optimal for a "fallout"? Do winds of 30 km/hr have a negative effect on bird activity? Thank you.

Title: Migration Weather
Post by: BIGFRANK on May 10, 2008, 09:51:48 PM

As I understand it....firstly yes..strong winds do effect migration. A low/moderate more southerly breeze is the best to bring migrants. An overnite rain is the best for a large fallout,particularily in May when peak migration is taking place. The small birds(song birds et al) migrate at nite,so if it rains overnite,it forces the birds down..thus a fallout. If weather is warm and sunny with a southerly breeze,birds often fly on as far as they can before setting down to eat. Often this will mean by-passing the city. Dont worry..at this point,there are still plenty of birds to come.

Title: birding and weather
Post by: tellin on May 10, 2008, 10:14:18 PM

Thank you for your reply, it helps. What about birding when it is windy (30 kmph), as forecasted for tomorrow? There may be a lot more birds to come but I only have the weekends for this, so I was thinking about tomorrow.