Regarding radar ornithology, here are a couple of other resources in addition to the excellent Clemson web site David (Nicosia) mentioned. First, David La Puma created a useful video tutorial for viewing nocturnal bird migration using radar, which can be viewed here: http://vimeo.com/2020985
David La Puma also runs his own web site which, as he puts it, tracks "bird migration over New Jersey using Doppler radar and a community of diehard birdwatchers". Though based in New Jersey, it's often applicable on a region-wide scale. http://www.woodcreeper.com/ Cheers, Mike -- Mike Powers Horseheads, NY On Mon, Apr 11, 2011 at 11:23 AM, david nicosia <[email protected]> wrote: > The circular radar echo pattern you see > develop on clear nights after sunset > is indeed bird migration. It is the nocturnal > migrants taking off for the night. > > see below for more info on radar ornithology. > http://virtual.clemson.edu/groups/birdrad/ > > > ________________________________ > From: Scott Brim <[email protected]> > To: Alicia Plotkin <[email protected]> > Cc: CAYUGA_BIRDS <[email protected]> > Sent: Mon, April 11, 2011 9:40:26 AM > Subject: Re: [cayugabirds-l] migration on radar? > > On Sun, Apr 10, 2011 at 22:40, Alicia Plotkin <[email protected]> wrote: >> >> Hi, >> >> I just checked the weather forecast for tomorrow, and noticed the >> radar had roughly concentric circles of increasing density centered on the >> radar site in Binghamton. (Radar is here, but it automatically updates so >> you may not see what I did at 10:30 PM.) Is that migrating birds? >> > > "Ground clutter" is common within 20 miles of a radar source. Wikipedia > says: > "Clutter (also termed ground clutter) is a form of radar signal > contamination. It occurs when fixed objects close to the transmitter—such as > buildings, trees, or terrain (hills, ocean swells and waves)—obstruct a > radar beam and produce echoes. The echoes resulting from ground clutter may > be large in both areal size and intensity. The effects of ground clutter > fall off as range increases usually due to the curvature of the earth and > the tilt of the antenna above the horizon. Without special processing > techniques, targets can be lost in returns from terrain on land or waves at > sea." -- Cayugabirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsRULES ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/maillist.html 2) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/CAYU.html 3) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/Cayugabirds Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
