Watching the weather. . .

Paul Lehman's Birding Forecast will be up on www.birdcapemay.org soon, but in the meantime (given that the winds are light and northwest in Cape May right now) I thought I would quote the National Weather Service's forecast discussion:

"AS OF LATE THIS AFTERNOON THE COOL FRONT IS PUSHING INTO NORTHERN PA AND COOLER/DRIER AIR IS FILTERING IN BEHIND IT. LOOKS LIKE THE FRONTAL PASSAGE THIS EVENING WILL BE DRY...AS THE HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS IN . . .A LIGHT NORTHERLY BREEZE SHOULD PERSIST THROUGH THE NIGHTTIME. OTHERWISE FALLING TEMPS AND DEWPOINTS SHOULD MAKE FOR A VERY PLEASANT EVENING AND NIGHT."

The passage of this dry front should bring migrants to Cape May tomorrow morning. Even better than tonight's forecast of a weak frontal passage, however, the NWS goes on to say:

"A FAIRLY STRONG COLD FRONT WILL MOVE THOUGH LATE THURSDAY NIGHT OR FRIDAY MORNING...FOLLOWED BY MORE HIGH PRESSURE AND FAIR WEATHER FOR THE WEEKEND."

Cape May birders, indeed late-summer and fall birders throughout the mid-Atlantic, love to hear about strong cold fronts. The day or two after such a front can bring great birding - if the front passes this Friday, come to Cape May this weekend if you can and try Higbee Beach at dawn for early migrant landbirds, or try your local migrant patch. As Paul notes in his essay on early fall migrants (click on Birding Forecast to see it), "Many birders may be loathe to search out migrant passerines in the heat and bugs of early/mid- August, but that month may see a good variety of migrant warblers (up to 30 species may be present already by the middle of the month) at such well-known sites as Higbee Beach Wildlife Management Area, including the best “autumn” chances at seeing such scarce transients as Golden-winged and Cerulean Warblers."

Also, northwest winds bring raptors to Cape May Point at any time of year, so I wouldn't be surprised to hear of Bald Eagles, Northern Harriers, or American Kestrels moving past the Hawkwatch Platform at Cape May Point State Park this weekend.