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Sven Explains: Bird migration

We can actually see birds on our weather radars when skies are clear.

While we continue to search for signs of spring, why not look for the birds? 

We can actually see birds on our weather radars when skies are clear.

That's because song birds travel by night to avoid day-time predatory birds, like eagles and hawks.

When you see animating round areas around the radar site, it's usually birds or insects.

You may or may not know that many of our birds we see in summer actually go to Central and South America in winter and make long spring/fall migrations between the two places. Some early arrivals are already here but most come later in April and May.

A new 'Science on a Sphere' feature from NOAA takes data from citizen scientists and temperature data and plots them on the globe where we can actually see birds make their big moves in spring and fall.

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