Today saw a return to slower migration conditions after an action packed past two days. Light breezes this morning were out of the north and northwest, but could barely be felt. Typically absent, no-see-ums were biting before too long, and the sun shone down from a cloudless sky. The flight was essentially finished by 7:30, though a total of 35 species and 349 individuals were counted.
The bulk of the flight today consisted of Red-winged Blackbirds, with 152 counted. Barn Swallows had one of their lowest days yet with 16 counted, by stark contrast to yesterday's significant movement. On the other hand, a flock of six Northern Rough-winged Swallows moved by, the highest number so far. Eastern Kingbirds were also down from the past couple days, with six counted. A few woodpeckers were on the move, with two Red-headed, a Red-bellied, and a Pileated counted. Downy is the only woodpecker species we regularly detect as a local bird at Sunset Beach.
Reverse migrant songbirds were quite slow, with single digits recorded for most regular species. An Eastern Wood-Pewee gave a nice flyover northbound in the second hour, showing its long wings and faint dusky vest pattern. Paler flanks, less pointed wings, a narrower tail, and generally slighter build help differentiate between its larger and much rarer congener, Olive-sided Flycatcher.
