Signs of migration continued today with a moderate flight of 43 species and 545 individuals. Low cloud cover provided good viewing conditions and steady northeast winds continued throughout the count, eventually turning gusty towards the end of the count.
A number of warblers were still moving today, though in slightly reduced numbers compared to yesterday led by 99 American Redstarts, 21 Northern Waterthrushes and 14 Northern Parulas.
Northern Parula
Falcons were on the move again today and three American Kestrels were seen flying northeast low over the bay, seemingly coming back in off the water from somewhere. Another exciting raptor sighting was a distant Mississippi Kite that circled up to the southeast later on in the morning, a nice first of season for the morning flight count of this uncommon species.
The Kiptopeke Hawkwatch had another good day as hoped for with strong northeast winds. American Kestrel numbers were particularly high with 94 counted. Another Mississippi Kite was another highlight, as were the season’s first six Sharp-shinned Hawks. Swallows were also out in force with 1,037 Purple Martins and a noticeable influx of Tree Swallows, with 212 counted.
Northeast winds hold tonight, but scattered showers in the morning may prevent much of a morning flight from happening. We’ll be out there counting what flies by regardless, and hopefully the skies will clear by afternoon for some raptor migration. Thursday and Friday are looking quite promising for migration with continued north winds, and significant migration flights are anticipated as we draw nearer to peak songbird migration.
Follow along with our counts right here on the CVWO Blog, and be sure to check out our Trektellen pages for real-time count updates:
Sunset Beach Morning Flight Count: https://trektellen.nl/count/view/3748/20250909
Kiptopeke Hawkwatch: https://trektellen.nl/count/view/4022/20250909
