There was an interesting anomaly on the the Bureau’s Doppler Wind radar yesterday afternoon in Melbourne. At around 15:19 you will notice a blue streak originating in Lilydale and moving towards Melbourne, disappearing at 16:07.
http://www.theweatherchaser.com/radar-loop/IDR02I-melbourne/2012-12-13-03/2012-12-13-06
Could this be bird/bat movements?
Similar examples occurred in Sydney earlier in the year. Apparently the orange streak originating in Camden (20:31) and heading southwest is birds or bats late in the day.
http://www.theweatherchaser.com/radar-loop/IDR71I-sydney-terrey-hills/2012-01-03-09/2012-01-03-11
Can anyone confirm large bird/bat movements in the Camden area that this could represent?
Hi,
At least here in Finland dense Autumn migration has been analyzed from weather radar images afterwards. Especially large amounts of nighttime migration could otherwise be difficult to confirm without the information from the radar recordings. On the other hand, the radar information does not give any info on the species diversity or actual quantities of the birds, so it’s mostly nice-to-know data. And yes, it helps to have a birdwatcher work for the Finnish Metheorological Institute.
BTW, regarding the mentioned bats. Although this particular “anomaly” did not concern birds or bats, my colleague Markku made a sighting of over 500 Fruit Bats, presumably Little Red Flying Fox according to a local expert, flying over Parkes towards West last week just around sunset. Don’t know if that’s of interest to anyone or if it is common there, but at least it’s now here in the open.
Cheers from snowy Finland, -Harry
2012/12/14 Dominic Funnell
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Dominic,
Yes, Rothamstead has been doing research into the migration of Painted Lady butterflies using radar. See http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/19991550
Cheers,
Carl Clifford
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Back in the late 80s when carrying out surveys on migrating raptors in Israel large flocks of birds were often seen on airforce radars and then ground truthed by surveyors on the ground. I remember seeing large flocks of European Honey Buzzard that way. I also have a recollection that the Rothamstead Institute I think it was looked at whether migrating butterflies could be picked up using radar. Dom
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Hi Luke,
I suspected this was a radar artifact (would birds fly directly at the radar – and into an approaching storm?), so asked about it on the Weatherzone forums; here’s what “zathras” had to say about the Melbourne radar loop:
/The weatherchaser link has serious issues, but from your description is sounds like a////feature we have noticed at times.// // //It is most probably a reflection from the CBD buildings looking back behind the radar site,////picking up a strong cell 180 degrees opposed to the nominal observation direction.// //Check the ranges of cells out west plus the range to the city.// //The doppler velocity would likewise look displaced./
I hope that helps.
Hi Luke, One would think that it was not bats during the mid afternoon.
Yours in all things “green”
John Harris Croydon, Vic Owner – Wildlife Experiences Ecologist/Zoologist Nature Photographer Wildlife Guide wildlifeexperiences@gmail.com 0409090955
President, Field Naturalists Club of Victoria (www.fncv.org.au)