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It’s true. Weather radar images show where radar beams have been “reflected” as they sweep the atmosphere. They’re useful for showing weather conditions because the beams are reflected by precipitation and the water vapor in clouds, but they can also be reflected by swarming masses of birds or insects.
- More Than Weather
- …But, How Do We Know These Are Birds?
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Radar, an acronym for radio detection and ranging, was originally developed to detect enemy aircraft in World War II. As the decades have passed, it has become a valuable tool for studying all kinds of objects in the atmosphere. One of radar’s most common applications is the detection of meteorological events—especially thunderstorms, tornados, and...
Equipped with computing power and advanced radar technology, we can begin to provide detailed data on avian activity in the atmosphere
The BirdCast team, along with other radar ornithologists, uses a broad array of tools to make sense of a treasure trove of information collected by radars about birds, such as migration density, flight speed, and direction. Our data are not complete, though. Many advances in radar technology have aided in our abilities to differentiate birds from r...
Dec 23, 2018 · My guess is it is an urban legend. Ground based weather radar have been used track and analyse behaviour of birds. Part of this research was done with the radar in fixed beam mode to record individual wing beat frequencies for species identification, keeping the bird in the radar beam.
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Sep 24, 2014 · Weather radar can tell you whether to pack an umbrella and poncho for the day, but, to ornithologists and others in the know, it also reveals the tell-tale signatures of migrating birds.
Apr 6, 2022 · When the temperature rises, birds see it as a green light: time to get going. When birders look at the BirdCast website to check on migration timing, they will see a forecast map predicting migration three hours after the local sunset; information is updated automatically every six hours during migration season.
Feb 24, 2023 · Thousands of birds can be detected by radar in features that are known as roost rings. The National Weather Service said these often appear as the birds take flight around dawn to hunt insects. In Ohio and other states around the Great Lakes, these radar depictions are common in the summer and fall before annual migrations begin.
Aug 28, 2023 · But researchers are using weather radar to track birds and provide “lights out” forecasts to help keep their paths clear of visual distraction.
