Radar's Surprise: Birds on the Weather Map

Ever wondered how we keep track of the weather? Radar is the secret! This clever tool started way back in the 1800s and was first used by the military to spot enemy planes during World War II. But guess what? It turns out radar can also spot weather patterns. Fast forward to today, and we use it all the time on our smartphones. Here in Minnesota, we use radar to watch out for rain and snow. But every once in a while, radar picks up weird things that we need to figure out. Meteorologists at the National Weather Service (NWS) offices in Duluth and Chanhassen keep an eye on the weather 24/7, 365 days a year. They aren't alone, though. The NWS team in La Crosse, Wisconsin, helps too, especially with weather that might affect Rochester and southeast Minnesota, as well as western Wisconsin. Recently, the team in La Crosse spotted something strange on the radar. It wasn't rain or snow, but something much more feathery! Turns out, the green and yellow areas on the radar map were caused by birds. Yep, birds like swans, geese, pelicans, and ducks were crossing the radar map as they migrated south along the Mississippi River. The higher returns, those green and yellow blobs, were the birds. In fact, the team could even hear the trumpeter swans calling in the distance!