USA Is the Winter Over? Birds already flying North!!!

Well yesterday was in the 50's and sunny and windy, today was a whole other thing, last night it rained several times and at 7:30 this morning it started snowing for like two hours straight. And its cold and gloomy overcast again.

Talk about ping ponging.

Here is a story on NY's heatwave...

January 'Heat Wave' Hits Upstate New York

Maybe the birds do know something we don't...

I had forgotten about this post concerning unusual migrations:

Researchers Baffled By Flocking Sea Birds

A very interesting article.

Was just checking out the National Weather Service website and they have a description of what they believe the weather will be like over the next few weeks. The following line caught my attention though:

Full articlehere

This warming, of more than 30 degrees C in the last few days, is usually followed by a negative AO pattern due to the warmth, and hence above normal heights, seeping down into the upper troposphere. If this were to verify, then the eastern part of the country would revert to below normal temperatures, and possible above normal snowfall. It is too early, however, to predict with much confidence which solution will verify.

Maybe this is the calm before the storm.

Well, maybe we are going back to normal. The last little ice age wasnt that long ago. I think when one ends another begins somewhere else. Maybe ours is ending and the new one is begining in Japan? Seem to me that winter is more unnatural than the weather we are having now. Just a thought.

Originally posted by alphacenturi
Forgot to mention, that maybe Japan has all our snow- crazy there, some areas got dumped 13 FEET(how do they find each other:lol

.
[edit on 12-1-2006 by alphacenturi]

The local weather mentioned a week or two ago that our winter has been so mild here in central NY because the arctic air is trapped way up north. I had three feet in early December and all that is really left are my plow mounds and snowmobile tracks.

I searched for discussions on this trapped arctic air and came up empty but I did find this interesting tidbit:

Old Farmer's Almanac

About midway down the page:

Re: where's theo?
Posted by: lieast (IP Logged)
Date: January 5, 2006 08:03PM


I found a post by him on another site dated 1/3/06, he's still at it.

Theo's post,

"Try not to become involved in the "current thinking" that because of the recent warm temperatures that the winter will now be all warm. I do not agree with this. My calculations clearly show a return of very cold arctic air to the United States as Jupiter's influence switches southward, and the Pacific jet flow begins to wane. I see this happening close to and after January 15 when Jupiter's massive magnetic influence allows more moisture to enter via the southern regions of the country while the current Venus retrograde signals arctic pressure from the north. This will bring about very large snow events, ice events, etc., due to the increased precipitation and colder temperatures.

Expect "extremes of weather" and yes - the colder weather WILL return and with a vengence to many parts of the country - the Northwest, the Mountain & Plains states as far as Texas and to the Upper Midwest and the Northeastern U.S. I would not put away those winter clothes just yet."

Apparently this theo chap is using astrology in some way to predict future weather patterns. I know nothing of this correlation so I won't say anything else. I mention this simply to quality the quote I posted.

As for the geese, we have them year round in the Syracuse area but I have noticed more and more smaller birds; and a ton more white-tailed hawks this winter. Also of note is that we still have mosquitoes flying around up here. I've never seen that before.

[Edit]: I also heard late in Fall 2005 that our winter was predicted to come late and intensely. Well, the late part is accurate so far.

[edit on 1/13/2006 by titian]

Originally posted by loam
Where2Hide2006

I can confirm what you saw. I witnessed the very same in Maryland today. Hundreds of flocking crows and maybe starlings(?). (There was definitely a second species of flocking birds.)

In any event, I immediately noticed that these birds were traveling north...but because I was engaged in something, forgot about it until you posted your experience here.

I will research what are the migration patterns of crows, if possible.

But I agree, it seems way too early.

Yep, same here. I live about a 1/2 hr north of MD and the weathers been crazy here too. It's 55* today. We've had flocks of starlings flying north for 2 wks or so. I had a wren looking to nest yesterday. I'm not sure if these little guys fly south or not 'cuz they have a constant food source around here. I do know that the squirrels that usually hibernate here for a bit haven't done so. Normally I wouldn't mind the absence of cold weather but with the cold/warm, cold/warm everyone's staying sick around here. Global warming? In addition to this how about the tropical storms and such that've remained long after the season has ended.

Hi All
I'm from Nova Scotia on the east coast of Canada. I can tell we have been having a freaky warm winter up here too. Today you could walk around in a T-shirt if you wanted to. This is diffenatley strange I can't ever remember it being this warm in January! Usually we have lots of snow!!

[edit on 13-1-2006 by librasleep]

I read the first page and not all of the postings here but I do live in the south. I didn't think too much about it the other day but not too long ago one morning I remember it was totally quiet outside. I didn't hear a single bird chirping or any noise whatsoever. I was thinking it's winter and I'm lucky since I remember a couple of birds were chirping in the middle of the night on some occasions last year. I thought at that time those birds had bird brains and were confused by the city lights. I will be on the lookout for any birds now.

I enjoy the quiet and didn't realize others were seeing lots of birds. Well I suddenly remember I did see a flock of sea gulls in the last two weeks. They were flying around the Walmart parking lot and I've seen them there before a year or two ago on one or two occasions. There is a large lake about 14 miles away from me and I believe I spotted them after we had big storms and several inches of rain a week or two ago and in the past a year or two ago as well. I live over 200 miles away from the ocean so I don't see sea gulls every day.

Posted this on the wrong forum:

I'm in central Canada. Yesterday a neighbor told me she had seen a huge flock of ducks or geese heading North in v-formation.

Very strange. ...But there may be a legitimate explanation - we are several miles from a marsh where geese over-winter. It could have been a flock from there. The birds were flying too high for her to see the markings, or even determine if they were ducks or geese.

All is quiet where I live at. I didn't see a single bird today and don't believe I have seen any birds flying high for a long time. If someone invented some new device that makes the birds flee for miles and miles, that would be something. I like the peace and quiet without all of the noisy birds. I expect that to change when it starts to warm up here in March.

Originally posted by Where2Hide2006
...I looked into the sky and was shocked to see a flock (at least 40-60 birds) of what looked to be either geese or ducks flying. My first thought was, "Damn I wish I had a rifle!"....

You hunt ducks and geese with a rifle?

ok since my first post on this thread, it has snowed 1 inch the day before yesturday. the day before it snowed I saw a pair of robins, this is usually a sign that spring is arriving.

tonight I saw Geece that are flocking to the noth, have seen groups of 200 or so. wierd

[edit on 17-1-2006 by LDragonFire]

Originally posted by LDragonFire
ok since my first post on this thread, it has snowed 1 inch the day before yesturday. the day before it snowed I saw a pair of robins, this is usually a sign that spring is arriving.

tonight I Geece are flocking to the noth, has seen groups of 200 or so. wierd

I have had several pairs here for almost two weeks and here in Wisconsin the geese are also flying north

Another odd thing I noticed is the ground is not all that frozen I had worms on the driveway which the robins gobbled up, go figure.

Spring is in the air

[edit on 1/17/2006 by shots]

Nature place some awful tricks sometimes. The weatherman on WGN tonight mentioned that very cold temperatures up north are being held back by the jet stream. All it will take is for a dip in the jet stream to occur and all that cold are will come rushing down, robins or no robins.

I'm just posting an update. I didn't see any birds this morning but I heard several. Apparently the birds haven't left my area. I was starting to wonder but I'm not that much of a bird watcher to start with.

Update in Kentucky: Temperatures have dipped to around freezing at night causing some snow to fall from left over rain from the warm days. It snowed last night, but is already beginning to melt as we are supposed to hit 63 degrees by tomorrow. Still doesn't seem like winter to me...snow or no snow.

Just got like 4 1/2 inches of ice/snow mix last night.

Dammit I hate Michigan weather. It was blue skies and 45 degrees yesterday, and now it looks like Alaka out there.

I just wanted to update this thread, I haven seen any more birds flying north at least not in the numbers that saw the day before I started this thread. A few V' formations here and there, but nothing jaw dropping.

However, I think that I am going to change my opinion of Global Warming. This has been the most enjoyable winter that I can remember, wearing t-shirts and short sleeves, leaving windows open at night, and not having to break out the snow shovel once, not once!

I can really get used to this!


That Japanese guy Kyoto needs to shut the f' up! (j/k)

Today I looked out the skylight in my room and I noticed that the trees were already starting to form buds!! This is freakin crazy..I live on long island, close to NYC. When the freeze comes around ( if it ever does ) does anyone know how that will affect the trees? Its all so odd..