The heavy overcast skies and north winds rolling in with the cold front also appeared to influence migration over the bay. Two more southbound Black Terns were nice to see, extending this species’ streak to day three at the count. A distant jaeger was also spotted way out over the bay moving south, and right after the official count was over dedicated bay watchers Mario Balitbit and Aylett Lipford picked up two Parasitic Jaegers moving south together. Further bay watching efforts later in the morning from an elevated vantage point at Kiptopeke State Park yielded at least four more distant unidentified jaegers southbound over the bay as the front passed.
Sometimes the highlights of migration counts are not incredible migration spectacles nor outstanding rarities. Sometimes, the highlights are the quirky local species that are curiously absent from a given location. Such species are often only truly appreciated by the counter, who knows the ins and outs of the count site intimately. For instance, two interesting columbids, one abundant and one uncommon and local in the region, are both notably rare at Sunset Beach. Single individuals of these two species, Rock Pigeon and Eurasian Collared-Dove, graced the count site with their presence today. Occasionally spotting these curiously absent species is one of the many reasons migration counting is a thrill.
Things were also busier over at the Kiptopeke Hawkwatch, with 26 Osprey, two Northern Harrier, three American Kestrel counted. With a solid week of northeast winds forecasted, the hawkwatch will hopefully see a very exciting week after today!
North winds continue tonight and with no rain impeding bird’s progress, conditions should be favorable for migration to our north. Following three nights of steady south winds, tonight will very likely be a significant migration event and a good morning flight should be expected tomorrow.
Be sure to catch our daily Eastern Shore Migration Update right here on the CVWO Blog, and follow along with our counts live on Trektellen:
Sunset Beach: https://trektellen.nl/count/view/3748/20250907
Kiptopeke Hawkwatch: https://trektellen.nl/count/view/4022/20250907
