Weather Forecasting - Alerts

Chance of Halloween Showers

Slight chance of showers and storms around this evening. Partly cloudy skies tonight with lows around 60°. Slight chance of showers on Saturday read more...

Nature Matters: A decade of Nighthawks — the Stone Bridge Nighthawk Watch

By John L. Turner At precisely 5:30 p.m. on August 27, 2017 several intrepid bird watchers from the Four Harbors Audubon Society met on the Stone Bridge at the southern edge of Frank Melville Memorial Park in Setauket and turned their collective sights skyward. A decade later, on October 6, 2026, a slightly larger group did the same. And on 408 occasions between these dates, groups ranging in size from a few individuals to several dozen, including yours truly, came together to view a fascinating bird species as it winged south during its annual autumn migration. That species is the Common Nighthawk and the observers were there to experience nighthawks as they leave their breeding territories in New England and eastern Canada, pass over Long Island, ultimately ending up in Brazil and Argentina some 4,000 miles away, where they spend the winter. And we are there to keep a tally on their seasonal numbers. Each day of the forty-one days of the count we record the number of nighthawks seen, the number of minutes spent each day counting, the weather conditions such as wind direction, and other interesting bird species observed. We even witnessed a stunning double rainbow on September 25th! Fittingly, a nighthawk flew under the rainbow (searching for the pot of gold?) We tallied 1,564 nighthawks during the 2026 watch, covering 4,173 minutes in the process. The highest total recorded however was in 2019 when 2,757 nighthawks were tallied and the lowest was 669 in 2024. We suspect the rampant fires in eastern Canada played some role in the depressed totals for this year. Over the decade of the Nighthawk Watch, we’ve tallied 16,677 nighthawks, an average of 1,667 birds a year. This year we added a supplemental watch running from Aug. 14 to Aug. 26 during which we tallied 234 nighthawks. The supplement was added as we realized that with a count period beginning on August 27, we were missing a number of early-moving birds. A new wrinkle to this year’s Nighthawk Watch was the use of a bat detector. A device that connects to a cell phone, the bat detector is able to discern and identify echo location signatures of various bat species. A bit of a surprise, we identified all of the seven bat species typically found on Long Island: the federally endangered Northern Long-eared bat, the diminutive Tri-colored Bat, the Eastern Red Bat, the Hoary Bat, the similar looking Silver-haired Bat, the Little Brown Myotis, and the Big Brown Bat. Often coursing back and forth over the pond surface, they were clearly drawn to the Watch due to an abundance of small insects such as midges, gnats, and mosquitoes emanating from the ponds of the park. The nighthawks and bats have something in common. Both groups are “aerial insectivores,” meaning they feed on the wing, pursuing flying insects of various types. Like with so many animals, aerial insectivores are declining in abundance, a drop believed to be caused primarily by widespread use of pesticides, especially agricultural chemicals and secondarily by habitat destruction. A recent study from Maryland documented a one percent annual decline in insects. While that may seem insignificant, continue that trend for several decades and the decline becomes troubling. Indeed, some have labeled this decline the “insect apocalypse.” Another way to measure the loss of insects is more anecdotal — the presence of their smeared remains on your car’s windshield. I remember, growing up in Smithtown in the 1960’s, my Dad would have to turn on the wipers and push the fluid button to clear the windshield from “bugs” when driving for any appreciable distance during the summer. I haven’t had to do that while driving on Long Island for a long time and I suspect you haven’t either. And while some may be blasé by this trend of declining insect numbers, it is concerning given the role insects collectively play in meeting human needs (fruits and vegetables anyone?) and safeguarding ecosystem stability. For nighthawks, it is downright species threatening, as they are rapidly declining in the United States and in New York is the reason why the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation has labeled them as a “high priority species of greatest conservation need.” Fewer insects makes it difficult for an insect-eating bird, that flies as much as eight thousand miles annually, to gain enough energy to complete its life cycle. And so we have fewer birds. And this is why we conduct the Stone Bridge Common Nighthawk Watch for more than a month during late summer through early fall — to bear witness to the plight of this intriguing bird and to contribute data to help better quantify the extent of their decline and hopefully by so doing to help advance strategies to reverse this decline. An additional dimension to the Watch is the educational value offered to passerbys, who are numerous. We have a dog-eared styrofoam board with photos, charts, and graphs taped to it explaining nighthawk biology, migration, conservation, anatomy etc. on one side and information on nightjars, birds closely related to nighthawks. Nightjars include familiar species such as whip-poor-wills. Many of those who stroll by are interested to learn about the plight of nighthawks and nightjars and walk away with a new appreciation of these species. Plus, we give out dog cookies to each interested dog and willing dog owner. Several hundred cookies were enjoyed by friendly canines in 2026. Coco the poodle was a daily visitor. Perhaps you’ve seen us gathered on the bridge this year or in past years as you’ve driven past. We hope you’ll join us when we begin our eleventh count in 2027 and, if so, we’ll see you next August! If not, why not at least come by so your dog can scarf down a treat? A resident of Setauket, author John L. Turner is a naturalist, conservation co-chair of the Four Harbors Audubon Society, and Conservation Policy Advocate for the Seatuck Environmental Association. read more...

10/30/26: Overcast Evening with a High of 79 and Current Temp at 68, Light Winds Persist.

At 7:00 PM, Williamson County is experiencing overcast conditions with a temperature of 67.5°F. The wind is blowing at 5.8 mph, and there has been no recorded precipitation. Earlier today, the high reached 79.7°F, while the low dipped to 45.9°F. Tonight, the temperature is expected to drop to a low of 63.7°F, with wind speeds […] The post 10/30/26: Overcast Evening with a High of 79 and Current Temp at 68, Light Winds Persist. appeared first on Williamson Source. read more...

10/30/26: Overcast and 68.2 – High of 82.8, low of 44.2, winds up to 6.2 mph; no precipitation expected tonight.

Current conditions in Rutherford County at 7:00 PM show a temperature of 68.2°F with winds blowing at 5.2 mph. The sky is overcast, and there has been no recorded precipitation today. Earlier today, the high reached 82.8°F and the low was 44.2°F. This evening, temperatures are expected to drop to a low of 63.1°F, with […] read more...

📢 Beach Safety team recovers university research drone

📢 Beach Safety team helps recover lost research drone. On the morning of Oct. 30, 2026, Volusia County Beach Safety staff helped recover a runaway underwa read more...

Beneath Alaska: Permafrost warms to new depths

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) - From the very air we breathe to the soil beneath our feet, climate change is shaping the last frontier in ways both visible and read more...

First Alert Forecast: Light trades, few showers for Halloween

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - Today’s breezy trade winds will back down tonight through Sunday. Weather for trick or treating should be fine with a few passin read more...

Halloweekend Weather Forecast - Tracking a front and possible tropical cyclone development

HONOLULU (Island News) -- Overall drier weather for Halloween as a weak front brings scattered rain on Sunday. Tonight will be partly cloudy with showers f read more...

Hawaii County Weather Forecast for October 31, 2026

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Kid Weather — Oct. 31, 2026

Bonner County's talented young artists drew today's weather forecast. read more...