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Re: moon birding

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Maurice Barnhill

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Mon, 19 Sep 2005 16:48:16 -0400

Brendan A. Klick wrote:

>It was the full moon last night so my roommate wanted to see it in my scope and take some digiscope photographs.  While I was watching the moon with a 50x eyepeice on the balcony of my north Baltimore apartment (around 1:00 am), I noticed a lot of birds were flying by.  I had 1 Grackle, 1 Swallow species, a couple thrushes and a bunch of small warbler/sparrow type passerines.  There was about 1 bird per minute.  This would be an interesting way of measuring migration even if most aren't identifiable as to species.
>
>Brendan Klick
>
>  
>
How times change.  This kind of measurement of migration is now done by 
analysing the NEXRAD radar images.  When I started birding it was indeed 
done by observing birds crossing in front of the moon, and there was a 
systematic, nationwide effort to collect the data. I have unfortunately 
forgotten the name attached to the project, but it lasted a long time.  
If I remember correctly, it was data obtained this way that first showed 
that the relation between migratory movement at night and migrants on 
the ground the next day is complicated.  Almost as complicated as my 
last sentence.

Brendan obviously has good insight.  

-- 
Maurice Barnhill 
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Department of Physics and Astronomy
University of Delaware
Newark, DE 19716