Saturday, February 25, 2012

Weather! Get your fill while it lasts


Saturday mid day edit:


Here's a nice look at the radar from Friday evening over southern Ontario (shows the Canadian + American radar) to give a better idea of the size and shape of the storm. Centre of Low is just above Lake Ontario by this time. 

Here's the stuff posted earlier today: 




As I write this, (Friday evening), there is some crazy weather happening. A powerful low pressure system is passing right over southern Ontario. And as all good weather-birders know, the centre of low pressure is where all of the air flows into!



Here's a crude map of the airflow going towards the centre of the low. That's a lot of air heading in our direction! At 4pm, the Burlington Lift Bridge weather station recorded the pressure at 98.7! And that's pretty low...


The only problem: is it's February! We are definitely into the very beginnings of spring migration around here, but it's not like a lot of birds are moving... If a weather pattern like this happened in late October (or dare I say, May), we'd be dancing the tango with rarities across the province...


Either way, I'd be very curious to see if anyone turns up some good birds.  The great thing about low pressure systems is that rarities can come from any direction. Some birds I'd like to see someone find: California/Mew Gulls... Ross's/Greater White-fronted Geese... Gyrfalcon... Great Cormorant... Another Mountain Bluebird... 

I'll also be keeping an eye on the nf.birds listerv (newofundland) to see if they get any Killdeer or the like in the next few days. Check out this jet stream:


Since the birds will have been arriving today (friday) and tomorow (saturday)... it would seem the best bet for a rarity to be found is Sunday, when the winds are light and the sun is out. (Good for birds and especially birders this time of year)..  But keep in mind, if you do go out looking for goodies on Sunday.. Do not expect anything. I repeat, anything.. It's still February out there!



Just a fun look at the weather for this year. 

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A little extra to fill out the post: 

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Leucistic Curve-billed Thrasher:


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Pale gull from Texas that DOES look decent for a bleached Slaty-backed Gull (good luck confirming though):


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The London Ross's Goose:


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Quebec White Morph Gyr:


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Speaking of Quebec, some Willow Ptarmigan have been reported a few hundred km from Ontario..... 


(scroll a few days down)...... 


We are only 59 days away from the last week of April..... 




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