Winds continue to be a birds best friend and not so much a friend to Florida birders. That is a good thing though, birds are making it farther north in short timespans. Southeast winds continue to give birds a push to the NW, vectoring them towards AL,MS,LA & Texas. Even if birds were headed for the western panhandle, they would have had a clear passage. Rain lifted and moved away from the FL panhandle which eliminated the chance of weather driven fallout overnight.
Winds at 3,000ft
Another moderate movement of migrants were recorded on the Miami and Key West radars. Most of these birds undoubtedly flew inland as they were arriving early. Birds that were entering through the east (Miami) could have flown into the natural areas south of Lake O, but there isn’t a whole lot of suitable habitat for migrants in that region. This may mean birds decided to continue on with their journey and may have opted for a long flight that would take them over the SW Florida coast and out over water again. The wonders of bird migration! Where did they go, what were they thinking?!
Current Weather Map
Looks like clear skies and an OK tailwind convinced the birds to go north, leaving us Florida birders high and dry. There is always that chance, that a percent of birds involved with a migratory flight will come in for a drink and a meal, so always be ready for the unexpected during migration. For now we wait for better birding conditions. Forecast models are making the weekend through mid-week look better for birders as a cold front moves in to the NE FL region. If this forecast holds true, we are looking at much better birding conditions for the beginning of next week.
*Sometimes birds arrive late in the day too! Lookout for for exhausted birds that have flown long distances. Migrant traps are usually your best bet for finding these birds. Let us know what you find out there if you give this a try*
Hope you all are having a wonderful week so far, enjoy the clear skies while they last. Good birding is on the horizon 🙂
Frames are every 1/2 hour. Click on the thumbnail to view the full-sized animation.
Nature is Awesome
Angel & Mariel
Badbirdz Reloaded 
Scissor tail flycatchers. Grey and eastern kingbirds at Sanibel lighthouse this morning. Too bad I had to leave to go back north to chicago before the scizzortail showed up. Thanks for your good work. Julie Long St Charles il
Sent from my iPhone
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By: julielong on April 15, 2015 @ 12:58 pm
at 12:58 pm