Eastern Shore Migration Update: September 2, 2025

Today’s Sunset Beach Morning Flight Count again featured northeast winds and blue skies. Today was a bit busier than yesterday with 43 species and 739 individuals counted.

Birds were going all over the place today. Eastern Kingbirds had a good day with comparable northbound and southbound numbers, with 210 and 219 counted respectively. One kingbird saw fit to relieve itself on the head of this author as it moved north. Thankfully volunteer counter Will Burgoyne was on hand with a convenient napkin to clean up the kingbird’s mess.

Eastern Kingbird— look out!

Northern Waterthrushes were a standout amidst a moderate warbler flight, with a total of 20 individuals counted. A number of warblers distant to the east were likely also this species. Other passerines were fairly slow overall, though it was nice to hear a Red-breasted Nuthatch calling from the lines early on. Two Bank Swallows were nice to see as well, after a week or so absence from the count site.

Volunteer counter Will Burgoyne was handy with the camera this morning, and provided some nice warbler flight shots for the blog:

Northern Waterthrush

Northern Parula

Cape May Warbler

Other highlights included the season’s first Wilson’s Snipe, northbound high to the east over the highway early on. A few hawks were on the move, and one Broad-winged and one Cooper’s Hawk provided a nice comparison as they moved south together. Five more Broad-wings circled up but retreated north in classic Broad-winged fashion. These small Buteos are reluctant to cross large bodies of water, and often do laps around the southern Eastern Shore while they muster the courage to cross the Chesapeake.

Cooper’s (left) and Broad-winged (right) Hawks

Over at the Kiptopeke Hawkwatch things were a bit slower, but 11 of each Osprey and Broad-winged Hawks were counted moving south. Swallows were on the move again, and aesthetic tallies of 111 Purple Martins and 222 Barn Swallows were counted.

After a long day of counting, some incidental discoveries on Seaside Road served as a good reminder of how many rare birds on the Eastern Shore are found on random roadsides. Between our three counters, a Lark Sparrow, a Buff-breasted and White-rumped Sandpipers were all discovered in quick succession in a small area at the intersection of Seaside Road and Cedar Grove Drive this evening!

White-rumped Sandpiper

Lark Sparrow

Winds fall out overnight but should still retain a light northerly element, and it’s possible a light flight will occur tomorrow. Looking ahead to the rest of the week, a warm up with south winds is expected for the latter part of the week. Currently, a significant cold front is forecasted for sometime over the weekend, which we will be watching with great interest.

Keep up with the daily Eastern Shore Migration Update right here on the CVWO Blog and be sure to check out our Trektellen pages for real-time updates:

Sunset Beach Morning Flight: https://trektellen.nl/count/view/3748/20250902

Kiptopeke Hawkwatch: https://trektellen.nl/count/view/4022/20250902