NWS Radar Image of Texas Roosts

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Don Troha
Posts: 353
Joined: Fri Jul 08, 2011 2:14 pm
Location: Texas/Houston

Here's a National Weather Service radar image showing three Purple Martin roosts in north central Texas.
http://www.srh.noaa.gov/graphicast.php?site=fwd&gc=5
2020 - 16 pair, 70 fledged
2019 - 14 pair, 61 fledged
2018 - 15 pair, 63 fledged
2017 - 11 pair, 46 fledged
2016 - 5 pair, 22 fledged
2015 - 3 pair, 13 fledged
2014 - 3 pair, 12 fledged
2013 - 3 pair, 12 fledged
2012 - 2 pair, 8 fledged
2011 - 1 pair, 2 fledged
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Chriscreole
Posts: 781
Joined: Tue Aug 17, 2010 9:31 am
Location: Texas, Hutto

Nothin comes up
Image
PMCA Member since 2010
Super System 24, All Troyer W/Conley 2 entrances.
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Don Troha
Posts: 353
Joined: Fri Jul 08, 2011 2:14 pm
Location: Texas/Houston

Sorry about that. The writeup is still there, but the image is gone. :-(
I'll monitor that link over next few days to see if they repost the image.
Meantime I've been using this web site to view archived NEXRAD images of the roost near me.
http://vortex.plymouth.edu/nids.html
The attached image from the plymouth site is more or less what the NWS image showed.
The Garland roost is visible, along with one near Waco, and another NW of Mineral Wells.
Don
Attachments
FWS radar image, 07/31/11, 6:42am.
FWS radar image, 07/31/11, 6:42am.
FWS_800x623_073111_0642cdt.gif (29.03 KiB) Viewed 2666 times
2020 - 16 pair, 70 fledged
2019 - 14 pair, 61 fledged
2018 - 15 pair, 63 fledged
2017 - 11 pair, 46 fledged
2016 - 5 pair, 22 fledged
2015 - 3 pair, 13 fledged
2014 - 3 pair, 12 fledged
2013 - 3 pair, 12 fledged
2012 - 2 pair, 8 fledged
2011 - 1 pair, 2 fledged
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Tommie D
Posts: 33
Joined: Fri Jul 08, 2011 2:10 pm
Location: Kansas/Wichita

Don,
I seen the radar right after you posted it. I thought that was the coolest thing to see the birds disperse like that on radar. I would realy like to see a few like that near me so I could go out and try to find the roost. Thanks for posting that.

Tom
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Don Troha
Posts: 353
Joined: Fri Jul 08, 2011 2:14 pm
Location: Texas/Houston

The webmaster for the NWS Ft Worth site sent me a copy of that image. (Thanks NWS Ft Worth!)
Attachments
Image courtesy of NWS Ft Worth, created 7/31/11.
Image courtesy of NWS Ft Worth, created 7/31/11.
20110731T1221Z.gif (303.53 KiB) Viewed 2563 times
2020 - 16 pair, 70 fledged
2019 - 14 pair, 61 fledged
2018 - 15 pair, 63 fledged
2017 - 11 pair, 46 fledged
2016 - 5 pair, 22 fledged
2015 - 3 pair, 13 fledged
2014 - 3 pair, 12 fledged
2013 - 3 pair, 12 fledged
2012 - 2 pair, 8 fledged
2011 - 1 pair, 2 fledged
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BumBee
Posts: 413
Joined: Tue Apr 18, 2006 9:47 am
Location: Sugar Land, Texas

Hey Don,
I captured these three radar images this morning at about 6:30. I did not see the
Willowbrook Mall roost.

This is awesome!

Image

Image

Image
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Don Troha
Posts: 353
Joined: Fri Jul 08, 2011 2:14 pm
Location: Texas/Houston

BumBee: Thanks for those radar images.
We were actually out there this morning at sunrise watching the Martins take off.
Kinda different seeing them leave the roost instead of coming in.
2020 - 16 pair, 70 fledged
2019 - 14 pair, 61 fledged
2018 - 15 pair, 63 fledged
2017 - 11 pair, 46 fledged
2016 - 5 pair, 22 fledged
2015 - 3 pair, 13 fledged
2014 - 3 pair, 12 fledged
2013 - 3 pair, 12 fledged
2012 - 2 pair, 8 fledged
2011 - 1 pair, 2 fledged
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BumBee
Posts: 413
Joined: Tue Apr 18, 2006 9:47 am
Location: Sugar Land, Texas

Don,
I plan to be there tomorrow morning. I can only imagine what it looks like all of the PMs
taking off all at one time before sunrise.
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Don Troha
Posts: 353
Joined: Fri Jul 08, 2011 2:14 pm
Location: Texas/Houston

Suggestion. Get there by maybe 6:15am. From about 5:50am to about 6:15am there's lots of cackling and fidgeting, but not much flying.
Then from about 6:15am to about 6:45am the birds leave the trees in waves swooping down over the parking lot, circling around to gain some altitude, then fly off into the distance.
A few of them head straight to the park next door and stay there.
2020 - 16 pair, 70 fledged
2019 - 14 pair, 61 fledged
2018 - 15 pair, 63 fledged
2017 - 11 pair, 46 fledged
2016 - 5 pair, 22 fledged
2015 - 3 pair, 13 fledged
2014 - 3 pair, 12 fledged
2013 - 3 pair, 12 fledged
2012 - 2 pair, 8 fledged
2011 - 1 pair, 2 fledged
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Don Troha
Posts: 353
Joined: Fri Jul 08, 2011 2:14 pm
Location: Texas/Houston

BumBee, the Willowbrook roost is visible in this radar animation from 8/2/11.
Looks like another one in the Brazos Bend area, another near Dayton, and several others.
Attachments
Radar animation of SE Texas 8/2/11.
Radar animation of SE Texas 8/2/11.
HGX_N0R_1108021300_800x618_none__173_an_6frame.gif (156.96 KiB) Viewed 2507 times
2020 - 16 pair, 70 fledged
2019 - 14 pair, 61 fledged
2018 - 15 pair, 63 fledged
2017 - 11 pair, 46 fledged
2016 - 5 pair, 22 fledged
2015 - 3 pair, 13 fledged
2014 - 3 pair, 12 fledged
2013 - 3 pair, 12 fledged
2012 - 2 pair, 8 fledged
2011 - 1 pair, 2 fledged
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Guest

Just FYI, I went by the Willowbrook Mall to check up on that roost because I didn't see it on the radar either. I was there on Saturday night (8/13/2011) and there were a few PMs flying around, but none came into the trees to roost. All I saw were a couple of stray cats near the trees. So that Willowbrook roost has now been abandoned by the PMs.

The Stafford roost is great, though!! 8-) We are going out again on Friday night (19 August) to see them.
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