Eastern Shore Migration Update: September 20, 2025

Today’s Sunset Beach Morning Flight Count again featured light westerly winds and clear skies. A weak cold front moving across the northeast and into the mid-Atlantic overnight provided excellent conditions for migration to our north, and very light westerly winds locally on the Eastern Shore through the morning kept birds closer to the bayshore. Diversity and total numbers were high, with 67 species and 2116 individual migrants counted.

The first hour once again saw a very impressive push of warblers, with wave after wave passing over the parking lot with many offering good views. Diversity matched yesterday with 18 species of warbler including the season’s first Blackpoll Warbler and a nice Blue-winged, whose migratory season is coming to a close. American Redstarts and Northern Parula numbers were competing all morning, with redstarts having a stronger start and parulas catching up later. Remarkably, the sum of our hourly clicker numbers ended in a tie, with 527 of each of these numerous two species clicked throughout the morning. 

Blue-winged Warbler

Sharp-shinned Hawks were on the go well before sunrise, and the impressive lift off led into a nice flight of 229 sharpies, dutifully tallied by volunteer counter Carson Lambert. One of the 16 Merlins counted snatched up an American Redstart, reminding us of the many perils songbirds face on their fall migration. Clearly, the Merlin was doing its part to help team parula this morning.

Merlin with American Redstart prey

The Kiptopeke Hawkwatch had yet another great day, with a nice low afternoon and evening flight overhead following a wind switch to the northeast in the afternoon. Most species had notably high counts including 409 Osprey, 914 Sharp-shinned Hawks, 69 Northern Harriers, 357 Broad-winged Hawk, 441 American Kestrel, 194 Merlin, and 28 Peregrine Falcon. Two more Mississippi Kites hung around the platform airspace off and on throughout the afternoon and evening as well.

East-northeast winds overnight will allow many migrants to depart the shore and may keep migration tonight more inland making for a smaller morning flight tomorrow. Winds are forecasted to pick back up and switch to the northeast again by the afternoon, so there should be plenty more raptors yet to come!

Keep up with both of CVWO’s counts right here on the blog with our daily Eastern Shore Migration Update, and follow along live every morning on our Trektellen pages:

Sunset Beach Morning Flight: https://trektellen.nl/count/view/3748/20250920

Kiptopeke Hawkwatch: https://trektellen.nl/count/view/4022/20250920