Eastern Shore Migration Update: August 7, 2025

Today started slow at Sunset Beach, with light rain and steady 20 mph east-northeast winds to kick things off along with the acrid scent of wildfire smoke on the air. Precipitation and haze darkened the sky, and the morning dragged on without much significant movement. Just 25 species were counted today, the lowest diversity wise for this first week of the count, and 272 individuals not far off from the lowest numbers-wise. 

Quality over quantity was the theme of the day, and sometimes a single bird can make up for an otherwise slow day. This was exemplified by a distant dove that appeared flying fast over the campground entrance with bold white wing patches... a White-winged Dove! Thankfully this bird turned around and made a fast loop around the campground, passing right overhead allowing for great views before it disappeared behind the bathhouse to parts unknown. White-winged Doves are a rare visitor from the southern United States and the Neotropics, and only a small handful are ever found in Virginia in a given year. A very exciting bird to wrap up the first week of the count!

White-winged Dove

Even with a slower overall flight, some species are still slowly increasing in numbers, such as the 5 Eastern Kingbirds and 8 Yellow Warblers. Barn Swallows had another good day with 116 counted, and the season's first Lesser Yellowlegs made a distant pass to the south. Bay watching produced a small sandpiper movement and three more Wilson's Storm-Petrels, and today two of the petrels were feeding in a slick behind a small fishing boat not too far offshore. This was a great opportunity to observe the distinctive "pattering" feeding behavior of this species, as they hover along the water gently touching off the surface with their feet while picking small tidbits from the surface. A spotting scope was definitely needed to fully appreciate these birds, as evidenced by the very distant storm-petrel in the heavily cropped image below.

A lot of squinting and a little faith may be required to see the Wilson's Storm-Petrel in this image

With the intermittently slow pace of the day, it was a good opportunity to appreciate some of the more common local birds present at Sunset Beach. American Herring Gulls have recently hatched, and the juveniles are looking fresh in their first set of flight feathers. 

Juvenile American Herring Gull

A juvenile Sandwich Tern was one of 10 that made their way past the beach today as well, fairly common in the area but not a daily sighting at Sunset Beach. Most of today's birds consisted of an adult with a closely following juvenile in tow, a typical behavior of juvenile large terns. 

Juvenile Sandwich Tern

East-northeast winds continue to hold steady tomorrow, and with a chance of rain a big songbird migration day is probably out of the question. Windy days with inclement weather can be good days to put eyes out on the water, so we'll see what the Chesapeake has in store in the morning. There's no telling what might fly by, and as today showed, suboptimal conditions are hardly a predictor of a dull day at Sunset Beach!

Be on the lookout for tomorrow's daily Eastern Shore Migration Update here on the CVWO Blog, and be sure to follow along with the Sunset Beach Morning Flight Count live every morning on Trektellen here: https://trektellen.nl/site/info/3748

Eastern Shore Migration Update: August 6, 2025

Cool, cloudy, and calm are three adjectives that continue to describe conditions here on the Eastern Shore for the past couple days. While not so cool as at the beginning of the count last weekend, temperatures have been below average for about six days now, keeping morning temperatures quite enjoyable. The light east-northeast wind stayed around 10 mph this morning and kept the flight pretty quiet overall, though there were still a few highlights. This morning 27 species and 371 individuals were counted. 

The bulk of the flight in these early days is still swallows, and today Barn Swallows had their highest numbers yet. Decisive Barn Swallow movements so far have been lacking with many birds milling around in both directions throughout the mornings, so it came as a little bit of a surprise to see tighter flocks of several dozen forming up and flying high southbound. Of the 135 Barn Swallows counted, 102 were southbound, as were 39 of 46 Purple Martins, both Tree Swallows, and the day's only Bank Swallow.

Other passerines were slow as expected with the easterly component to the winds, and only five warblers in total were counted. One of them was the season's third Louisiana Waterthrush, which passed silently to the north mid-morning. Generally considered a rarity on Virginia's coast, this season it seems to be a regular but low density migrant out here at the very beginning of fall. 

Northbound Louisiana Waterthrush. Note the large bill, broad flank streaking, and buffy wash concentrated on the flanks that separate this from Northern Waterthrush.

Another interesting sighting today was a high flock of 10 Eastern Bluebirds moving steadily south as they flew perpendicular to the easterly wind, appearing much like a migrant flock that would be expected here later in the fall. These are the first bluebirds seen in flight or otherwise at Sunset Beach so far this season, so it seems possible that this flock consisted of dispersing birds moving down the Shore. 

East-northeast winds build in strength tomorrow, and combined with overnight and early morning rain no noticeable overnight migration is anticipated. Friday looks similarly breezy and damp. Skies are forecasted to clear by Saturday, so there are early signs of a pleasant weekend of counting and birding ahead!

Stay tuned for tomorrow's daily Eastern Shore Migration Update here on the CVWO Blog, and follow along with the Sunset Beach Morning Flight count live on Trektellen every morning here: https://trektellen.nl/site/info/3748

Eastern Shore Migration Update: August 5, 2024

As expected, today was a little bit slower with the diminished east-northeast wind, but there were still plenty of birds to count at Sunset Beach this morning. High cloud cover once again made for good viewing conditions, and the weather remained pleasant in the low 70's throughout the morning. A total of 36 species and 256 individuals were counted today.

A pair of Black Scoters was swimming just off the beach before sunrise, an uncommon over-summering species on the Eastern Shore. Northern Bobwhites were singing again, with one audible across Highway 13 from Eastern Shore NWR as well as one to the north. A few herons were flying around early this morning, with five and eight northbound Snowy and Great Egrets as well as the season's first Little Blue Heron moving south. 

First-of-season juvenile Little Blue Heron

A small swallow flight developed as the morning went on with 55 Barn, 2 Tree, 2 Northern Rough-winged and 2 Bank counted, but nowhere near the magnitude of yesterday's martin flight. Swallows today were in small loose groups and moving both directions all morning, making counting a challenge.

Immature Barn Swallow

Bank Swallow at sunrise

A couple shorebirds moved north throughout the morning including the season's second Whimbrel moving north over the bay. Passerines were in somewhat short supply, but we still counted the season's first Great Crested Flycatcher and Black-and-white Warbler. Two Eastern Kingbirds also moved north, only the second day so far we have logged the species. Five Blue-gray Gnatcatchers continued to move, and one stopped to forage in the bushes as it worked south.

Blue-gray Gnatcatcher

A slower songbird flight allowed for more attention out on the bay, and scanning the water produced a southbound Wilson's Storm-Petrel! These small seabirds occasionally wander far up into the Chesapeake Bay during late summer, but are seldom seen from shore. 

Conditions will remain similar tomorrow with a steady east-northeast wind, and no major arrival of migrants is anticipated. Anything can fly by at Sunset Beach regardless of the conditions even without a significant flight, and we're eager to see what the coming days bring!

Stay tuned for tomorrow's daily Eastern Shore Migration Update here on the CVWO Blog, and follow along with the Sunset Beach Morning Flight Count live every morning on Trektellen: https://trektellen.nl/site/info/3748

Eastern Shore Migration Update: August 4, 2025

The winds eased up this morning though while still out of the northeast, and this seems to have been a good recipe for the highest numbers for the count in these first few days of August. Temperatures remained in the low 70's making for a very pleasant morning of counting. A high cloud ceiling covering most of the sky provided a good backdrop for viewing migrating birds. Though slightly less diverse than previous days at 27 species, numbers were way up with 838 birds counted today.

Blue-gray Gnatcatchers continued to be on the move today, and put on a much more impressive showing than yesterday's count with a total of 54, with an even split between northbound and southbound individuals. With the lighter winds, most birds were very high and were tough to spot even with cloud cover. 

The bulk of today's flight consisted of Purple Martins, with a total of 454 counted. In keeping with previous days, more martins began to fly later on in the morning but in much greater numbers. All but four individuals were northbound, and the steady flow of birds spanned from all the way out over the bay to the west over to Eastern Shore NWR to the east. One martin took a break and perched by the beach access for over half an hour.

Purple Martins

Warblers continue to trickle by in slowly increasing numbers. Thirteen American Redstarts, four Yellow Warblers, two first-of-season Northern Waterthrushes, and one Prairie Warbler rounded out the count nicely today. A southbound Eastern Wood-Pewee and a northbound Indigo Bunting were other firsts for the count season.

First-of-season Northern Waterthrush

Today's most notable sighting came at the very end, when a Swallow-tailed Kite appeared in a small kettle of vultures just north of the parking lot! It gained a bit of altitude and then moved steadily south, appearing to snatch at an insect on its way. Swallow-tailed Kites are rare but somewhat regular strays to the Eastern Shore, appearing as overshoots during spring and as post-breeding wanderers in the fall. This appears to be the first record of this southern species at the site!

Swallow-tailed Kite

Winds are forecasted to slide around to the east tonight and tomorrow, which will very likely reduce the number of migrants arriving on the Shore and will probably allow birds concentrated at the tip to depart. The easterlies will continue to build over the next few days, so it may be a slow start to the week. Nevertheless, it will be interesting to see how the shift in conditions affects the flight tomorrow, and how migrants currently on the shore will react to the wind switch. 

Stay tuned for tomorrow's daily Eastern Shore Migration Update here on the CVWO Blog, and follow along with the Sunset Beach Morning Flight Count live every morning on Trektellen: https://trektellen.nl/site/info/3748

Eastern Shore Migration Update: August 3, 2025

Today's conditions closely mirrored those of yesterday's, though with slightly reduced wind speeds and with a bit more sunshine. The strong northeast wind continued to provide some interesting migratory movements, though with slightly reduced migrant diversity compared to yesterday with a total of 32 species and 348 individual birds counted. 

One of the more interesting migration movements of the day was a small but noticeable Blue-gray Gnatcatcher flight. A total of 10 northbound and 6 southbound gnatcatchers were tallied, and it appeared that some birds may have been struggling to fight the strong northeasterlies. The birds that ended up southbound initially started off in reverse northbound flight, but stalled over the parking lot and shot back south. A subsequent visit to Eastern Shore NWR after the count yielded 43 gnatcatchers foraging in flocks throughout the refuge, suggesting many more of these tiny migrants chose to hunker down on the eastern side of the tip today.

Three Blue-gray Gnatcatchers reversing course and heading south

Other species highlights included a singing Northern Bobwhite somewhere off to the north, a welcome start to the day from a resident Eastern Shore species. New species for the season included 5 Tricolored Herons and a surprise Western Cattle Egret moving south. A very close Pileated Woodpecker was an impressive sight as it rowed its way north. Two Downy Woodpeckers also moved north this morning, and while it's difficult to know what these largely resident woodpeckers are doing for sure at this site, both species are known to make limited short range migration and dispersal movements.

Northbound Pileated Woodpecker

Chimney Swifts were on the move around the campground and beach all morning, and some low flying individuals provided some good in-flight "target practice" later in the morning after the rest of the flight had slowed down.

Chimney Swift in classic "flying cigar" profile

Aerial insects beware!

Neotropical songbirds continued to trickle north in low numbers, with 3 Orchard Orioles, 6 American Redstarts, and 1 Yellow Warbler counted. Conditions are forecasted to remain similar tomorrow, with the northeasterly flow continuing to steady and slightly diminish in speed. It will be interesting to see what migrants remain in the pipeline after the passage of the cold front, and if more gnatcatchers attempt to make a move. 

Northbound Orchard Oriole

Stay tuned for tomorrow's daily migration update here on the CVWO Blog, and follow along with the Sunset Beach Morning Flight Count live every morning on Trektellen here: https://trektellen.nl/site/info/3748

-Baxter

Eastern Shore Migration Update: August 2, 2025

Day two of the Morning Flight Count was off to a unseasonably brisk start with strong northeast winds in the wake of yesterday's passing cold front. Both counters quickly fetched an extra layer of clothing for the early morning hour despite air temperatures in the low 70s; quite the treat for the second day of August! A lovely rainbow also appeared over the bay despite the lack of precipitation at our vantage point. 

The winds remained strong out of the northeast all morning, producing a solid movement of birds throughout the count period. A small northbound movement of several warbler species early on included at least two Louisiana Waterthrushes, a species clearly making a significant push on the shore at the moment. The season's first American Redstarts, Prairie and Yellow Warblers also showed up. 

One of the season's first American Redstarts in silhouette

The flight was hardly limited to warblers, and northbound shorebirds over the Chesapeake occupied a good bit of our attention throughout the morning after the warblers made their move. Semipalmated Plovers were a consistent presence throughout the morning, with 24 counted in total. Highlight species included another Whimbrel, a very distant adult Red Knot low over the water, and a southbound juvenile Least Tern. 

Whimbrel north over the Chesapeake Bay

One of several Semipalmated Plover flocks moving north

The flight spanned a fairly wide range of species overall, with 40 species exhibiting migratory movements this morning during the count, and 426 individual birds counted overall. Northeast winds will remain strong tomorrow and are forecasted to stay in place for the first few days of next week. While strong winds can make birding for migrants on the ground somewhat challenging, this pattern should continue to produce visible migration. Hopefully the coming days will continue to highlight the diverse movements taking place at the beginning of the season!

Stay tuned for tomorrow's daily migration update here on the CVWO Blog, and follow along with the Sunset Beach Morning Flight Count live at our Trektellen page every morning. 

-Baxter

Eastern Shore Migration Update: August 1, 2025

At last, the long anticipated first day of the Fall 2025 migration season is here on the Eastern Shore, and CVWO was out there to document it! Today was a special occasion as it also marks the first day of CVWO's new Morning Flight Count, which will be conducted daily at Sunset Beach through November 15th.

After a night of thunderstorms and heavy rain associated with a strong arriving cold front, conditions today on the Shore were starkly different than the past few days of south winds and oppressive heat and humidity. Temperatures today were way down in the upper 70's, aided by a light but building north wind and low cloud cover. A very brief shower passed through towards the end of the count, but we stayed dry otherwise. While the overnight rain likely stalled migration behind the passing front today, there were still plenty of birds moving around at Sunset Beach this morning and lots to keep us busy on the first day of the count. 

Immature male Orchard Oriole flying past Sunset Beach

Several early season migrants were out in low numbers. Shorebirds trickled by in singles and small groups, highlighted by a nice flyover Whimbrel blasting southwest out over the Chesapeake. A tight flock of 35 Common Terns also appeared high over land early and shot off down towards the water, strongly suggesting active migratory behavior. Orchard Orioles, Barn Swallows, Purple Martins and Ruby-throated Hummingbirds kept us entertained as they moved past north and south of our position. Movements of these birds will likely become more direct and intentional as the season progresses. A single southbound Red-headed Woodpecker and four Bank Swallows were additional highlights throughout the morning. Common Grackles and American Robins were also on the move. Bringing a touch of herpetology to the count, Morning Flight Coordinator Andrew Rapp even spotted a large Loggerhead Sea Turtle as it surfaced out in the bay!

A crisp juvenile American Robin headed north

After concluding the first day of the Morning Flight Count, further birding yielded a nice diversity of birds around the southern area of the shore. As is typical out here, recently harvested potato fields are often used by shorebirds. We found several such fields to hold large flocks of Semipalmated Plovers and Semipalmated Sandpipers found with smaller numbers of Least and Pectoral Sandpipers mixed in. Exceptionally high tides today likely augmented shorebird numbers, and also yielded a notable flight of Willets and Whimbrels over the marshes at Indiantown Park following high tide.

Semipalmated Sandpipers and Semipalmated Plovers utilizing a harvested potato field

The day was not without a few uncommon species highlights. Small groups of juvenile and adult Gull-billed Terns were noted foraging inland at two locations, always an interesting species to see out over land. A Common Gallinule and Least Bittern were notable finds at Magothy Bay Natural Area Preserve. Early warbler migrants were very well represented at the swampy ponds of Savage Neck Dunes Natural Area Preserve, with a Prothonotary Warbler and two Louisiana Waterthrushes providing some real excitement. Despite their regularity inland in Virginia, Louisiana Waterthrushes are rare migrants on the Eastern Shore, with the lack of flowing freshwater streams likely responsible.

Juvenile Gull-billed Tern, Magothy Bay Natural Area Preserve

Common Gallinule, Magothy Bay Natural Area Preserve

Prothonotary Warbler, Savage Neck Dunes Natural Area Preserve

Louisiana Waterthrush, Savage Neck Dunes Natural Area Preserve

With strong northeast winds continuing to build throughout the week, more migrants will likely continue to trickle down the shore in the coming days. Temperatures are forecasted to stay down hopefully allowing for pleasant all-day birding experiences, certainly a rarity worth taking advantage of in early August. Early season arrivals including Yellow Warbler and American Redstart should make their first appearances at Sunset Beach very soon. The fall is off to a great start here on the Eastern Shore, and we can't wait to see what shows up next!

Stay tuned for tomorrow's daily migration update here on the CVWO Blog, and follow along with the Sunset Beach Morning Flight Count live at our Trektellen page every morning. 

-Baxter

Introduction to CVWO's new Morning Flight Count!

 

My name is Baxter Beamer, and I am thrilled to be joining CVWO this fall as the Morning Flight Project Specialist! I will begin this blog post by briefly introducing myself, and will then provide some background for this new CVWO migration count I will be running this fall.

I am from Charlottesville, Virginia and started birding there ten years ago with a cohort of other young birders in the Blue Ridge Young Birders Club. My interest in birds has led me to pursue a career in ornithology and conservation, and I have recently graduated from Virginia Tech where I majored in Wildlife Conservation. My interests as a birder include furthering knowledge of bird status and distribution, learning how to identify challenging groups of birds, visible migration, and photography. Morning flight is at the nexus of all these interests, and I couldn’t be more excited to spend this fall on the Eastern Shore!

Now on to the good stuff. Before introducing this count, I will provide some background on morning flight for anyone unfamiliar with this unique migratory behavior.

First, imagine yourself as a birder primed to witness an incredible morning flight in Virginia. It is late September, just before dawn, and you are standing at Sunset Beach, overlooking the Chesapeake Bay to the west. The weather shifted last night; the first chilly breeze of fall was in the air, and the wind direction was out of the northwest: perfect conditions for a big flight of migratory birds. Maybe you heard some migrants giving flight calls last night as they winged their way through the dark sky, riding the cold front on their journey south.

Now it is morning, and the sun is about to rise. Suddenly the air begins to come alive as small groups of songbirds launch out of the trees to your south, crossing overhead as they move north along the shore of the bay. As the morning draws on the flight intensifies, and you can barely keep up as hundreds of migrants turn into thousands, all passing after just a few seconds in view. Many of the birds are warblers, but vireos, tanagers, grosbeaks woodpeckers, and a multitude of other species are moving too. Waves of birds stream north throughout the morning, until the flight gradually subsides after a few action-packed hours of jaw-dropping spectacle. You have just witnessed an incredible morning flight!

Northern Parula flying north past Sunset Beach during morning flight, September 8, 2024

If morning flight is something you are not familiar with, certain elements of this description may sound a little counterintuitive. Why are species that were migrating south all night during fall migration turning around and going back north in the morning, and why does it happen here on the Eastern Shore?

The answers to the above questions are still being investigated, and morning flight is still a relatively new field of study in migration research. But studies using data from migration counts like this one combined with weather data and radar have have provided some answers as to what is happening with morning flight.

In a nutshell, morning flight is understood to be a behavior to “correct course” during migration, typically exhibited by nocturnal migrant songbirds after a night of migration. During fall on the East Coast, this behavior is typically associated with certain weather conditions. Winds out of the northwest, often accompanying autumn cold fronts, provide a tailwind for many birds to use as they make their way south across the continent. Despite their benefits as a tailwind, strong northwesterly winds tend to displace a large number of migrants in eastern North America well east of their intended flight path. This displacement is called wind drift.

Many of these migrating birds thus find themselves in a perilous situation after experiencing wind drift: They are much closer to the coast than they intended, or even worse, find themselves flying out over the open water of the Chesapeake Bay or Atlantic Ocean as the sun rises. Flying over open water during the day is a dangerous energy expenditure for a nocturnal migrant that would much rather be refueling or resting in a habitat with cover.

Migrating songbirds want to avoid the situation of this Wilson’s Warbler , which was spotted flying over a group of birders on a pelagic trip 70 miles off the coast of Virginia Beach! September 7, 2024

Morning flight is generally thought to be an important way for birds to correct for wind drift and avoid further travel complications. It may also be exhibited by birds selecting foraging habitats in the early morning. The narrow, funnel-shaped peninsula of the Eastern Shore acts as a natural concentration point for migrants, waterlocked to the west and south by the Chesapeake Bay, and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. Surrounded by water, migrants concentrate at the tip of the peninsula and correct course, sending them straight past Sunset Beach as they turn north to look for somewhere on the peninsula to forage.

A map of Virginia’s Eastern Shore showing Sunset Beach’s position at the southernmost tip of the peninsula 

Birders have long known of the incredible morning flight spectacles that occur at Sunset Beach, but this fall will be the first time a daily count is conducted using standardized data collection protocols. CVWO will be joining other ongoing morning flight counts elsewhere around the world documenting this unique migratory behavior. 

Documenting the volume and species composition of birds engaging in morning flight throughout the fall is the primary goal of this project. This data will also inform habitat management decisions to support the diversity of migrant species moving through the Eastern Shore and will help further our understanding of the varying factors influencing morning flight behavior.

Starting August 1st, I will be counting migrating birds every morning at Sunset Beach through November 15th. Counts will start just before sunrise and last until the flight has ended for the day, ranging from a few hours in the early morning to the full morning and possibly the early afternoon on heavy flight days. Counts will be conducted regardless of weather conditions except for persistent heavy rain. 

For visitors to Sunset Beach, the site can be accessed from the parking lot at the end of Wise Point Lane, west of Highway 13 just north of the Cape Charles/Chesapeake KOA Resort. The count will be conducted from the gravel area south of the parking lot by the Sunset Beach Bar and Grille. 

Throughout the fall, I will be updating this blog with daily count results and migration anecdotes as well as posting to our Trektellen page so you can follow along with the count live every morning. Each morning is expected to be very different, but every day has the possibility for an awesome migration movement or a surprising bird. The only way to know is to get out there and see what's flying!

The fall season is approaching fast, and we hope to see you on the Eastern Shore in just a couple weeks! Check back on this blog August 1st to catch the first daily Eastern Shore migration update!

                                      Yellow-throated Warbler in morning flight at Sunset Beach, September 8, 2024

References

Benjamin M. Van Doren, Daniel Sheldon, Jeffrey Geevarghese, Wesley M. Hochachka, Andrew Farnsworth, Autumn morning flights of migrant songbirds in the northeastern United States are linked to nocturnal migration and winds aloft, The Auk, Volume 132, Issue 1, 1 January 2015, Pages 105–118, https://doi.org/10.1642/AUK-13-260.1

Benjamin M. Van Doren, Kyle G. Horton, Phillip M. Stepanian, David S. Mizrahi, Andrew Farnsworth, Wind drift explains the reoriented morning flights of songbirds, Behavioral Ecology, Volume 27, Issue 4, July-August 2016, Pages 1122–1131, https://doi.org/10.1093/beheco/arw021

David S. Wiedner, Paul Kerlinger, David A. Sibley, Paul Holt, Julian Hough, Richard Crossley, Visible Morning Flight of Neotropical Landbird Migrants at Cape May, New Jersey, The Auk, Volume 109, Issue 3, 1 July 1992, Pages 500–510, https://doi.org/10.1093/auk/109.3.500

 

"Audubon's" Yellow-rumped Warbler!

 Sharp-eyed Jim Easton, who was an active birder and photographer in the Williamsburg area, until he recently moved to Richmond, picked this western rarity "Audubon's" type out of the usual "Myrtle" type of Yellow-rumped Warblers in his new yard on Dec 17th. True-to-form, he got a terrific photo!

The breeding range for "Myrtles" is basically from New England and the Virginia/West Virginia border and upper Michigan, Wisconsin and Minnesota in the U.S. throughout Canada and Alaska and they winter in many places all across the continent, while "Audubon's" is rarely documented east of the Great Plains.

Though the two types are quite similar, "Audubon's" has a yellow throat patch, unlike the white of "Myrtle" and the patch is more compact...it doesn't curl up behind the cheek as in "Myrtle." "Myrtle" also shows a thin white eyeline that "Audubon's" lacks. These differences can be quite subtle on a small bird moving around quickly.

Brian Taber

Late Fall Hummingbirds?!

At the Kiptopeke Hawkwatch, our seasonal staff always leave hummingbird feeders up for the whole fall, through November 30th, because in most years, we see hummers long after their usual mid-September leaving dates.

This year, 3 species have made late appearances...a rare Black-chinned in mid-October, then Ruby-throated and a rare Rufous into November!

Ruby-throateds are mainly found in the eastern half of the United States, while Black-chinned and Rufous are usually found from the Great Plains westward. But all 3 can be found in the southeastern U.S. in late fall and even winter and people are apparently leaving feeders out later than usual. Also, a warming climate may be allowing later blooming of flowering food sources, encouraging hummers to stay farther north. A growing number of records put into eBird will help to explain such movements.

Black-chinned is very similar to Ruby-throated, but the outer primaries are more rounded, as can be seen in Nancy Barnhart's Kiptopeke photo from October 14th.

Rufous usually shows a lot of orange-to-rufous coloration, unlike Ruby-throated and Black-chinned. Another orangey one, very similar to Rufous, is Allen's, but that was ruled out when the observers here were able to get a good look at the tail feathers, which are shaped differently.

Below is Mario Balibit's Kiptopeke photo from Nov 3 of the Rufous, nicely showing extensive orangey tones from breast, underwing, flanks, rump and tail.

Ruby-throated at Kiptopeke Oct 19, photo by Arun Bose.

There are several other rare western hummers that have appeared in eastern states, so we are always on the lookout!

Brian Taber

Swainson's Hawk

 Swainson's Hawk is a bird mostly of western North America open areas that generally migrates all the way to southern South America for the winter. A few are seen in the fall, very rarely, in the east, most often as they pass hawkwatches like Kiptopeke and Rockfish Gap in Virginia and Cape May in New Jersey. When raising young they prey on a variety of small mammals, reptiles and birds, but during migration, they mainly eat large insects. This one, a light morph juvenile, seen on Oct 17th at a site not open to the public in Portsmouth, was conveniently found at close range in short grass on a dirt road shoulder, likely standing on a grasshopper. I wonder if there are any other photos from Virginia of one on the ground?

The blurry photo shows the characteristic dark flight feathers.

When it was flushed by a passing truck, two Red-tailed Hawks immediately saw it and chased it out of the area.

Brian Taber

Great Purple Hairstreak

Green markings are rarely seen in Virginia butterflies, so these lime-colored hindwing marks make this rare Great Purple Hairstreak even more spectacular...long tails, red marks, blue speckles, white body spots...wow!

It was at the CVWO marina garden in James City County this morning.

Brian Taber

Black-bellied Whistling Ducks

 Black-bellied Whistling Ducks are typically found throughout the southern U. S. but a check of eBird records for June and July shows they have ranged north this year to include Wisconsin and New Hampshire. While still rare, they are becoming more frequently seen in Virginia in recent years and they often only make brief stops. The two pictured here were in Williamsburg at a suburban pond on July 7th and a number of birders were able to see them. They certainly have their share of distinctive field marks as  even my distant photo shows!

Brian Taber

Willow Flycatcher

 Willow Flycatcher is rare as a breeder on Virginia's coastal plain, so this one at a site in Portsmouth not open to the public was quite noteworthy. While breeding hasn't yet been confirmed, it sang it's distinctive "fitz-bew" repeatedly from the same area from May 23rd to June 20th.

Brian Taber

Glaucous Gull

This strikingly white Glaucous Gull was seen on May 30th at a Portsmouth site not open to the public. The species is rare here at any season. Variable in size, this one is about the size of the adjacent Herring Gull and distinctly larger than the nearby Lesser Black-backed. Its white wingtips project only a little past the tail. Its large bill is sharply two-toned. Glaucous hybridizes with other gulls, but this one doesn't show any obvious signs of being a hybrid.

Brian Taber

Unusual Laughing Gull Molt

 This Laughing Gull, on May 16, was at a site in Portsmouth not open to the public and it shows a weird pattern that I've not seen or even seen described anywhere, at least so far. Laughers are 3-cycle gulls and while molt can be variable and quite confusing, this bird shows an adult head and tail pattern, like 3rd cycle, but with 1st cycle flight feathers that don't appear to be very worn...the white trailing edge even seems pretty well intact. Comments appreciated...send to taberzz@aol.com and I can post updated information.

Brian Taber

Intriguing Plover

This small plover at Hog Island Wildlife Management Area in Surry County on Apr 28th is intriguing. Semipalmated Plovers are quite similar to Common Ringed Plovers, which are found in western Europe and elsewhere and breed as close as Greenland and adjacent Canada. There are some east coast records of Common Ringed.

The right-side photos are mine, the left-side is by Michelle Gianvecchio.

This bird appears quite pale above, sandy even, as evidenced by the contrast on the head between black crown stripe and light brown rest of head. The most striking feature to me is the black loral area of even thickness, not "pinched" which reaches the gape on the right side, though not apparently on the left side...perhaps the bird still has a ways to go with molting. Many field guides used to point to this feature as diagnostic for Common Ringed, though, more extensive sources now show more examples of variability in both species. Semipalmated very often shows a distinctly "pinched" loral look or even white area there between eye and bill, quite unlike this bird. I've not seen a Semipalmated with this feature to the gape...on one side anyway.

The bill shape is often described as "stubby" for Semipalmated and longer and of more even length throughout for Common Ringed, and perhaps more extensively orange for Common Ringed. This bird has a large amount of orange on a bill that looks long-ish to me, though the orange seems less on Michelle's photo.

The breast band feature, according to most sources I've checked, is not a reliable feature of being thick or thin for either species, as it's not only variable among individuals and sexes and is also seasonal, but changes with posture.

The webbing between the middle and inner toes is basically absent in Common Ringed and in Semipalmated ranges from slight to perhaps even absent in some...it would take an excellent photo to determine this feature if the bird weren't in the hand.

Michelle's photo shows the eye in better light, but I don't see a yellow eye-ring which Semipalmated should show. There is also some white around the eye...still molting, I guess. Common Ringed usually shows more white in front of and toward the eye.

The vocalizations are described as slightly different and a good close-range recording would possibly be a clinching piece of evidence, though, there may be variability with that as well...experienced researchers can probably weigh in on that.

I've seen Common Ringed in western Europe, though never studied them carefully there. I've seen many thousands of Semipalmateds during waterbird surveys mainly in Virginia.

All-in-all, to me, an interesting bird.

Please feel free to share comments to me at taberzz@aol.com and I can update the Blog.

Brian Taber