Light north winds made for another nice busy day at the Sunset Beach Morning Flight Count. Activity was noticeably better from the get go than the several preceding days, attributable to significantly calmer winds. A nice varied morning flight ensued with 51 species and 2932 individuals counted.
Blackbirds contributed the most volume with 1145 Red-winged Blackbirds, 408 Brown-headed Cowbirds, 74 Common Grackles, and one Eastern Meadowlark counted, with Red-wings and cowbirds being predominately southbound. Yellow-rumped Warblers took a bit of break with "only" 173 southbound and 281 northbound counted, though with birds milling around all morning a number of active migrants likely blended in with general back-and-forth fluttering across the parking lot. Other Sunset Beach highlights included a Blue-gray Gnatcatcher on the late side, a Dickcissel, an even hundred Turkey Vultures migrating, 91 Fish Crows, and a very surprising flock of seven Western Cattle-Egrets.
The Kiptopeke Hawkwatch was slow on the raptor front, though 17 Bald Eagles were nice to see migrating. Turkey Vultures also had a nice tally of 259. Passerines continue to entertain around the platform with an impressive total of three Lincoln's Sparrows around the platform today as well as the continuing juvenile pale-lored White-crowned Sparrow and a Nashville Warbler. The abandonment of the main Hawk Counter by the Monarch Biologist and the Morning Flight Specialist in hopes of a Virginia Beach Gray Kingbird was in vain, and the weary counters returned to the Shore with no prize other than consolation Chipotle.
Northwest winds overnight already appear to be facilitating a significant night of migration, and tomorrow will likely be another nice day of movement on the Eastern Shore. Winter arrivals will likely increase in number and late migrants will take the opportunity to move. Hopefully there will be a surprise or two in the mix tomorrow!
Follow along with our counts live every morning on our Trektellen pages:
Sunset Beach Morning Flight: https://trektellen.nl/count/view/3748/20251024
Kiptopeke Hawkwatch: https://trektellen.nl/count/view/4022/20251024
