_{Now that peak bird migration is nigh, you need to check out a terrific website that provides the latest information on new arrivals. It’s called BirdCast, and not surprisingly, it’s from the celebrated Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology.}  

  _{I’m embarrassed to admit that BirdCast wasn’t on my radar until recently, but that’s in part because I’ve focused on other Cornell brainchildren – eBird, the Merlin bird identification app, Project FeederWatch, and many more.}

  _{According to Andrew Farnsworth, a senior research associate at the Cornell Lab, the goals of BirdCast are “to showcase the spectacle of bird migration and to explore questions like when, where and how far birds migrate and how many birds passed last night.”}

  _{Farnsworth adds: “BirdCast is not as popular, sadly, as Kylie Jenner, Cristiano Ronaldo or Dwayne Johnson, but it’s popular with birders in the know.”}

    _{Here are just a few of the many tools you can find at BirdCast.info:}

   _{* A bird migration dashboard for every county in New Jersey, including the number of birds that crossed that county the night before. On April 16, for example, 8,800 birds passed through. You can also see which nocturnally migrating species are most likely to arrive or depart in the coming month.}

   _{* Bird migration forecast maps that show predicted overnight migration three hours after sunset, as detected by the U.S. weather surveillance radar network.}

   _{* Migration alerts tailored to your town.} 

   _{Farnsworth suggests you start with these two BirdCast webpages: bit.ly/3mPqR6g (using the new migration forecast tools) and bit.ly/3ovrd2n (using weather surveillance radar to study migration).}

                                                                _*

  _{This is my favorite birding time of year. The warblers, orioles and other birds are arriving. The bugs aren’t terrible yet (but beware of ticks). The trees aren’t totally leafed out. And the weather is Goldilocks-worthy (not too hot, I hope, and not too cold).}

   _{For the best birding, especially if you are a little rusty, try a bird walk with a group. I liken it to training for a 10K. If you want to run faster, train with faster runners. If you want to improve your birding skills, go birding with better birders.}

   _{Here are a few unusual upcoming nature events in the next 10 days:
  Bioblitz, Sat, Apr 29, 9 a.m. 2 p.m. at Lorrimer Sanctuary, 790 Ewing Ave., Franklin Lakes. Free Register at  www.njaudubon.org.}

   _{Birding for Beginners, Sunday, April 30, 1 p.m. at the New Jersey Botanical Garden, Ringwood. Indoor presentation followed by a walk. Free. Learn about bird ID, optics, field guides and more with the Bergen County Audubon Society. Contact: Don Torino, [email protected] (201) 230-4983.
  Secaucus Green Fair, Saturday, May 7, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., at the Secaucus Xchange.  A celebration of our planet, with environmentally conscious vendors, exhibits, and activities. Free. 4000 Riverside Station Blvd. Visit Green.SecaucusNJ.gov for details.}