Annulus

[Laverne]

Good morning all.

I've been checking out the NEXRAD this morning and yesterday, too. I have finally discovered how to clean up an image and am clearly seeing the dispersal ring from the Sharpstown Roost in Houston. There's another one moving south from Matagorda Bay. I am seeing one just east of Austin and there is a good one near Fayetteville, Arkansas. Something is creating an arch moving S from Joplin Missouri. To the east of Tulsa there was a brief rapid half moon curve that moved to the NE - I don't know if that could be PMs or not. Dallas/Fort Worth exhibited a few very small "suspected" half moons all moving to the South.

I found nothing distinctive in the area of Decatur, Alabama. Some of the radars are still out along the Gulf Coast (the one at New Orleans is still displaying the image of the hurricane (awesome) - but, there is one that reaches Lake Pontchartrain. Yesterday, there was activity there - today I see nothing. But, you can clearly see "things" moving south from land to water. Same thing happening between Florida and Cuba.

I just wanted to let everybody in the northern breeding range that the migration continues through the central states right on down through Texas. But, it appears the country is draining of Purple Martins very rapidly.

[Guest]

Laverne,
thanks for the tip. I'll check radar in the morning. We are going north of Fayetteville this next week and if time permits, I'll see iff I can locate the roost. That would be pretty neat to see three different roosts in the same year!!!!!!!

[Laverne]

That would be a rare treat! Best of luck to you.

Y'all have a safe trip and let us know what you find...

[Emil Pampell-Tx]

Laverne, did you remove the clutter? I like to watch 6 frames, and then you can see the roost enlarge or get smaller, and this occurs around daylight & dusk

[Guest]

How do we look at this radar. Do you have a link?

[Laverne]

I'm going to www.wunderground.com (weather underground). You have to join to see the previous radar images. It costs all of $5 for an entire year. Then you select the NEXRAD and choose your specific radar from a map of the US. Then you go beneath the radar image and select how many frames you want to see. Then you can watch up to 40 previous images in a loop. That gets rid of the problem we have always had of trying to get up at the right time and be watching radar at the exact moment the roosts disperse.

This is an awesome tool for locating roosts and tracking their activity. I am so grateful somebody finally told us about it.

Thanks again, LK.

...and yes, Emil, I did remove the clutter.

[Guest]

It is very enjoyable to read reports of the roosts in the South while sitting at a computer in NH. Here I have been watching a group of 30+ chimney swifts land in a chimney in the evening. There is also a large tree swallow roost in CT that I will post more information about. Everything is on the move and it?s wonderful to read about it in real time. You must have spent hours collecting the information posted above!

The National Weather Service webpage has a composite image of all the Nexrad locations updated every 30 minutes, and it still shows a gap in coverage in Louisiana & Mississippi. It?s at -- <http://www.weather.gov/radar_tab.php>.

Thanks also for the tip about the clutter, I'll have to try that, Lane

[Emil Pampell-Tx]

Laverne, I didn't pay $5, I am getting it free. It may cost $5 if you want to use email..

[Laverne]

Well, that's even better, Emil! I didn't know you could use all the radar features for free.

So, it's free for everybody! Check it out! I just looked for the Sharpstown Roost again and it is clearly there. The annulus is seen to the west of Houston around 7:00 am.

If you click on the Austin radar you will also see a great annulus. It is just SE of the city and appears to be quite large.

There is the indication of a pretty good dispersal just NW of Corpus Christi, too. If you leave the labels feature on, this one is close to the sign for Highway 37.

There are small clouds moving through the area - but, when you see something moving in the opposite direction of the clouds, it's a good chance those are birds. It looks like the air in South Texas is "thick" with migrants of all kinds!

[Emil Pampell-Tx]

Laverne, that may be bats in the Austin caves.

[Laverne]

It could be, Emil.

Can you see the bats as they return to the caves in the morning? Would they form something similar to the donut signature of a PM roost dispersal?

I've never seen a bat roost in the morning or the evening... so, I honestly don't know...