Date: 4/18/26 11:32 am From: ChicoBill via groups.io <w.e.haas2...> Subject: [slocobirding] Birds on the Moon
Some of you may already be attuned to this; however, the recent high-intensity bird migration alert for the night of 17 Apr 2026 suggested this opportunity to share another of the many wonders of the Cornell Ornithology Lab (whose former director was my college roommate - who endlessly lectured me about the beauty of Empidonax flycatchers - and who was instrumental in bringing to fruition many of the lab's technologically advanced projects including one that may also be familiar to some of you, eBird - OK, most of you). This one - BirdCast:
One can subscribe to BirdCast alerts to discover and to explore patterns of nocturnal bird migration in the contiguous United States - I use it to study West Coast bat migrations, which it is equally good at deciphering. During migration events, especially high-intensity events, one can typically hear flight calls of migrating birds, especially from along shorelines, riparian corridors, and ridgelines. However, viewing is typically difficult. On that note, in the coming weeks, the Central Coast will experience two full moons: the Flower Moon on Friday, May 1 and a Blue Moon on Sunday, May 31. When conditions are right - that is, with the combination of a full moon AND a major nocturnal migration - it is possible to see silhouettes of migrants as they pass between us and our favorite cheesy satellite. Often, a scope or bins are not necessary.
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Bill Haas
Paso Robles
