Birds migrating south for winter light up the Pittsburgh radar
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- Radar in Pittsburgh lit up on Wednesday night as thousands of birds are preparing to migrate south for the winter.
The Pittsburgh radar was lit up with what would normally be attributed to "ground clutter" or "anomalous propagation". These are essentially false returns on a radar. This time, does not seem to be the case.
According to birdcast.info, a website that tracks bird migrations in real-time, there is a major migration of birds, and that is what is showing up on Pittsburgh's radar.
That website says tonight 337 Million birds, nation wide are predicted to migrate tonight. In our area more than 19 thousand birds are predicted to migrate per half mile of land.
It is suggested to turn of unnecessary lights, so prevent the birds from becoming disoriented or confused. Lights can also cause birds to have potentially fatal collisions with each other and buildings.
These birds are migrating southward for the winter. That is just another sign that summer is winding down.