Eastern Shore Migration Update: November 10-11, 2025

A bona fide arctic blast arrived overnight on the Eastern Shore, bringing temperatures nearly 15 degrees F below average with frigid northwesterly winds off the bay. Both of our counts experienced snow flurries today before clouds cleared out as the morning went on. 

Neither of our counts had much to report yesterday with northwest winds and cloudy skies before the front arrived. A handful of the regular winter waterfowl were moving at Sunset, but the passerine flight was quite subdued. The Kiptopeke Hawkwatch had a trickle of hawks including four Northern Harriers.  

Today was a very different story with the blasting west winds. Though baywatching was nearly impossible at Sunset with heavy shimmer on the water, the passerine flight was very active in the early morning with 849 Yellow-rumped Warblers in low northbound flight right over the parking lot and a handful of kinglets and sparrows mixed in including a nice Lark Sparrow. The Lark hung around with a mixed sparrow flock by the parking area later in the morning.

Lark Sparrow

The Kiptopeke Hawkwatch was again slow, though four more Northern Harriers were logged along with a couple other raptors. Thirty Bonaparte’s Gulls were a nice first-of-season for the platform. A quick check of the Kiptopeke SP Fishing Pier revealed that the beautiful drake Harlequin Duck was back after more than a week’s absence, and it gave stunning views in the boat launch inlet.

Harlequin Duck

Cave Swallows continued their presence on the Eastern Shore at the Edward S. Brinkley nature preserve this evening, with three individuals making incredibly close passes over the pond with a couple hundred Tree Swallows and one late Barn. Continued westerly winds will likely bring more Cave Swallows to the mid-Atlantic throughout the coming week and beyond, and southwesterly winds over the next few days have the potential for more passerine flights with more surprises sprinkled in.

Cave Swallow

Keep up with both of CVWO’s counts with our daily migration update on Facebook, Instagram, and the CVWO Blog: 

https://vawildliferesearch.org/cvwo-blog-1

Follow along with our counts live every morning on our Trektellen pages:

Sunset Beach Morning Flight: https://trektellen.nl/count/view/3748/20251111

Kiptopeke Hawkwatch: https://trektellen.nl/count/view/4022/20251111

Eastern Shore Migration Update: November 8-9, 2025

Southwest winds brought humid southern air to the Eastern Shore on Saturday, and the warm sunny day felt much more like a day out of the early season than November. Winds remained southwesterly overnight and low cloud cover blanketed the area in the morning keeping birds low. 

On Saturday, the Sunset Beach Morning Flight Count logged 37 species and 11,190 individuals including the season’s first Orange-crowned Warbler. A significant flight of Cedar Waxwings also occurred with 1,129 southbound individuals counted. This morning was again dominated by 26,402 American Robins. The season’s first Cave Swallow was great to see amid the ongoing irruption of the species on the Eastern Shore, and four Cape May Warblers were also notable for the late date.

Orange-crowned Warbler

The Kiptopeke Hawkwatch had a good diversity of raptors yesterday including 19 Sharp-shinned Hawks, 10 Red-tailed and seven Northern Harriers. The low misty cloud today was not the most ideal weather for raptor movement, but 24 Sharp-shinned Hawks were still moving as well as the season’s first “northern” subspecies Red-tailed Hawk. A flock of eight Long-tailed Ducks migrating overland was a very exciting sight for the Hawkwatch platform.

Today was defined by a truly staggering southbound flight of 117,358 American Robins at Kiptopeke, as wave after wave of birds poured through the sky throughout the morning and into the early afternoon with another massive evening liftoff pushing the day’s tally well past six figures. Though fewer in number overall, today marks the third day in a row the Hawkwatch has exceeded the Virginia record high count for Cedar Waxwings with an incredible 2,237 counted southbound. It will be fascinating to see where numbers of these two flocking species will peak this season as they continue to surge in volume.

This weekend’s rarity roundup event was well-attended and a handful of notable species were detected around the shore including a few more scattered Cave Swallow sightings and a nice Western Kingbird near Smith Beach, the first for the Eastern Shore this fall. The kingbird continued through today providing nice views for many birders.

Western Kingbird

A true arctic blast arrives on the Eastern Shore overnight bringing a major plunge in temperatures as well as possible rain tomorrow morning with a wind shift to the northwest. Frigid westerly winds are forecasted for Tuesday as wind chill temperatures sink into the teens. This major weather shift introduces thoughts of northern species that may move in with the front, and the aftermath of the system with continued westerly winds this week will certainly be interesting. 

Keep up with both of CVWO’s counts with our daily migration update on Facebook, Instagram, and the CVWO Blog: 

https://vawildliferesearch.org/cvwo-blog-1

Follow along with our counts live every morning on our Trektellen pages:

Sunset Beach Morning Flight: https://trektellen.nl/count/view/3748/20251104

Kiptopeke Hawkwatch: https://trektellen.nl/count/view/4022/20251104

Eastern Shore Migration Update: November 7, 2025

Light southwest winds overnight and into the morning translates into a strong southbound morning flight on the morning of Nov 7. A handful of notable late migrants and rare visitors were likely attributable to this wind setup, and overall species diversity for the day was high.

With the light southerly winds, forward migration was by far the dominant movement at the Sunset Beach Morning Flight Count. Yellow-rumped Warblers had a significant resurgence in numbers with a “living river” of 7,119 southbound warblers counted. Good diversity of other songbirds were mixed in including a late Blackpoll Warbler and a Northern Parula. Waterfowl had a strong showing with over 300 total ducks counted, most in very distant flocks out to the east. Four more White-winged Scoters were good to see.

At the Kiptopeke Hawkwatch, a good handful of raptors were moving including seven Northern Harriers. The raptors were outshone by the excellent songbird diversity for the day, including an excellent southbound flight of 1,656 Cedar Waxwings, 7,091 American Robins, and 10,438 Yellow-rumped Warblers, and a small uptick in Purple Finch numbers with 29. The star of the show was a Lark Sparrow that dropped in from the south and hung out in front of the platform the rest of the day, an incredibly tame individual that provided awesome views for many! A Vesper Sparrow and a late Blue Grosbeak and Nashville Warbler were also nice to see.

Lark Sparrow

The big news of the day was the anticipated arrival of Cave Swallows on the Eastern Shore. Three were spotted at the hawkwatch in the morning, and a nice little push developed in the late afternoon and evening with a total of 10 for the day with several more likely candidates seen in the fading light. With the continued westerly winds it is likely more Caves will be around in the days to come!

Southwest winds continue overnight and into the morning, shifting to west and northwest and calming in the afternoon. This weekend is the annual Rarity Roundup on the Eastern Shore, and it will be exciting to see what birders are able to discover in their territories!

Keep up with both of CVWO’s counts with our daily migration update on Facebook, Instagram, and the CVWO Blog: 

https://vawildliferesearch.org/cvwo-blog-1

Follow along with our counts live every morning on our Trektellen pages:

Sunset Beach Morning Flight: https://trektellen.nl/count/view/3748/20251107

Kiptopeke Hawkwatch: https://trektellen.nl/count/view/4022/20251107

Eastern Shore Migration Update: November 6

Winds were out of the northwest today coming in strong off the bay. A good number of migrants were moving initially before winds whipped up which killed the flight before calming down later morning. 

The flight at Sunset Beach was much more moderate and manageable than yesterday’s chaos. It was still a birdy day with totals of 39 species and 7107 individuals counted. American Robins again comprised the bulk of the flight with 2,863 northbound individuals mostly out to the east and 982 southbound including many sky-high flocks overhead. A northbound Baltimore Oriole was the first one seen in some time. Baywatching was productive with a few regulars moving around in the high winds as well as the season’s second sighting of Brown Booby, an immature bird northbound with a juvenile Northern Gannet for easy comparison.

American Pipit

 It was a slower day at the Kiptopeke Hawkwatch with the northwest winds, but a few raptors were still moving earlier on the day. Twelve Cooper’s Hawks were the most numerous species, followed by nine of each Sharp-shinned and Red-tailed. American Robins had a strong southbound movement with 13,841 counted, with 8,435 of which being in the hour before sunrise.

Winds are calm overnight slowly increasing to south through tomorrow. Cave Swallows have built up in numbers to our north, and it’s likely only a matter of time before some make their way down to the Eastern Shore! Continued westerlies in the forecast will likely keep bringing more of this species into the area.

Keep up with both of CVWO’s counts with our daily migration update on Facebook, Instagram, and the CVWO Blog: 

https://vawildliferesearch.org/cvwo-blog-1

Follow along with our counts live every morning on our Trektellen pages:

Sunset Beach Morning Flight: https://trektellen.nl/count/view/3748/20251104

Kiptopeke Hawkwatch: https://trektellen.nl/count/view/4022/20251104

Eastern Shore Migration Update: November 5, 2025

Winds were strong out of the southwest this morning on the Eastern Shore. A massive movement of forward migrants heavily dominated by robins took place in the morning, with the largest volume of birds so far the entire season counted. A total of 35 species and 27,083 individuals were counted at the Sunset Beach Morning Flight Count.

The air was thick with American Robins this morning at Sunset Beach. Overwhelming rivers crisscrossed the sky as wave after wave poured south, with many of the initial high groups making a 180 turn back to the north after reaching the tip of the peninsula. Totals of 18,461 southbound and 2,609 northbound individuals were counted after nearly three hours of frenzied clicking. Red-winged Blackbirds also contributed significant volume to the day with 2,261 southbound and 442 northbound.  Though lesser in number but still very notable, Cedar Waxwings had their largest migration flight so far with 857 southbound and 73 northbound. 

Though the bay was necessarily neglected during the hectic first hour of the flight, a few waterfowl were spotted throughout the remainder of the count including the season's first White-winged Scoter in a nice southbound mixed flock with five Black and two Surf Scoters. 

The Kiptopeke Hawkwatch also recorded a remarkable American Robin and Cedar Waxwing flight, totaling 31,236 southbound and 1,699 northbound robins and 1,345 southbound and 71 northbound waxwings. One of the American Robins was a leucistic individual showing white patchies in the wings and head, and what was possibly the same individual was possibly seen later at Magothy Bay. Rusty Blackbirds also put in a good showing with 113 counted southbound. Raptors were very slow after a trickle in the morning before strong southwest winds shut down the flight. Evening flight yielded a nice flight of 173 southbound Wood Ducks.

Leucistic American Robin

Keep up with both of CVWO’s counts with our daily migration update on Facebook, Instagram, and the CVWO Blog: 

https://vawildliferesearch.org/cvwo-blog-1

Follow along with our counts live every morning on our Trektellen pages:

Sunset Beach Morning Flight: https://trektellen.nl/count/view/3748/20251105

Kiptopeke Hawkwatch: https://trektellen.nl/count/view/4022/20251105

Eastern Shore Migration Update: November 4, 2025

Strong northwest winds were blowing past the Eastern Shore today, with a chilly start to the morning and rough chop out on the bay. Forward migration was overall quite slow, as many birds seemed not to want to cross the bay in the rough conditions. Some of the more numerous in-season passerines engaged in strong northbound morning flight. Waterfowl were moving in decent numbers in diversity as well. 

At Sunset Beach, highlights of a nice waterfowl flight included 33 Wood Ducks, 31 American Wigeon, two first-of-season Gadwall, six Mallards, 44 Black Scoters, and four first-of-season Buffleheads. The songbird flight was heavily dominated by Yellow-rumped Warblers with 2,803 counted in a steady northbound flow all morning. American Robins also had a good showing with 1,453. Blackbirds were more strongly northbound than usual and for the first time this season many were dropping in to the campground to feed in a large wandering group dominated by Brown-headed Cowbirds. 

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker

The Kiptopeke Hawkwatch had a decent handful of raptors led by 17 Sharp-shinned Hawks, seven Bald Eagles, and seven Red-shouldered Hawks. A Ruby-throated Hummingbird continues to visit the platform feeder. A few nice passerine migrants included a late Blue-gray Gnatcatcher and a Baltimore Oriole. Evening flight at Kiptopeke yielded a nice flock of 82 American Pipits and a steady river of Tree Swallows totaling 2,996, likely birds going to roost. 

Southwest winds build tomorrow becoming strong by the evening before switching to northwest overnight. Northwesterly winds in November following low pressure systems sweeping across the Great Lakes are strongly associated with the arrival of Cave Swallows on the east coast, and such a movement appears to be underway in the Lakes region and farther north along the mid-Atlantic coast. With westerlies dominating the forecast for the next week and more cold fronts in store, it seems a good bet that these wandering southwestern swallows will pop up on the Eastern Shore soon!

Keep up with both of CVWO’s counts with our daily migration update on Facebook, Instagram, and the CVWO Blog: 

https://vawildliferesearch.org/cvwo-blog-1

Follow along with our counts live every morning on our Trektellen pages:

Sunset Beach Morning Flight: https://trektellen.nl/count/view/3748/20251104

Kiptopeke Hawkwatch: https://trektellen.nl/count/view/4022/20251104

Eastern Shore Migration Update: November 3

Winds were steady out of the northeast this morning with intermittent drizzle and rain. Birds took advantage of the brief gaps in the rain, and both of our counts had decent diversity. 

Waterfowl were trickling through over the bay at Sunset Beach including 18 Ring-necked Ducks, seven Green-winged Teal, and a Lesser Scaup. Two northbound Wilson’s Snipe were nice to see. Red-winged Blackbirds and Brown-headed Cowbirds were moving in small flocks in both directions, and 1658 American Robins were counted northbound. Five Cape May Warblers and a Northern Parula were a nice reminder that there’s still a just a few non-Yellow-rumped Warblers moving.

Rain kept most of the raptors down this morning at the Kiptopeke Hawkwatch, but there was a handful of the expected species after the finally rain let up. A nice first-of-season for the hawkwatch, a Clay-colored Sparrow appeared by the platform in the early afternoon and spent the next couple hours foraging on the ground with a mixed sparrow flock. There was another nice evening flight in the final two hours of the count with 1,378 Tree Swallows, 5,704 American Robins, and 68 Wood Ducks. Three American Woodcocks also picked up right as light was fading.

Clay-colored Sparrow

Northwest winds pick up significantly tonight continuing overnight and into tomorrow, with lots of potential for another significant flight of American Robins and other late season songbird migrants. Strong northwesterly winds also tend to push waterfowl migrants closer to the bayshore. Winds shift to the southwest by Wednesday before northwest returns later in the week.

Keep up with both of CVWO’s counts with our daily migration update on Facebook, Instagram, and the CVWO Blog: 

https://vawildliferesearch.org/cvwo-blog-1

Follow along with our counts live every morning on our Trektellen pages:

Sunset Beach Morning Flight: https://trektellen.nl/count/view/3748/20251103

Kiptopeke Hawkwatch: https://trektellen.nl/count/view/4022/20251103

Eastern Shore Migration Update: November 2, 2025

Calm west winds shifting to northeast and a glassy bay were a welcome change from the rough conditions of the past couple of days. A wide variety of species were taking advantage of the calm weather and species across the whole taxonomic list were moving through today. Totals of 72 species and 13803 individuals were counted at Sunset Beach. 

Morning flight was excellent today with birds coating the sky everywhere our counting crew looked. Waterfowl had an especially good day with hundreds of ducks counted, mostly in small to medium-sized flocks distant out over the bay and across the airspace over the peninsula. Without a doubt, Wood Ducks stole the show with 276 counted. Other waterfowl highlights included 41 Green-winged Teal, 39 first-of-season Lesser Scaup, 23 Ring-necked Duck, 18 Northern Pintail, four first-of-season Long-tailed Ducks, and two Snow Geese. Other migrant diversity included five Red-shouldered Hawks, a late Broad-winged Hawk, 53 Northern Flickers, 49 Eastern Meadowlarks, and a nice November warbler roster including eight Cape May Warblers, one Blackpoll Warbler, and one Northern Parula.

Northern Pintail

Great Blue Herons

The Kiptopeke Hawkwatch also had a very birdy day with 43 species and 36,099 individuals counted. A nice late season trickle of raptors was highlighted by two first-of-season Golden Eagles, 10 Northern Harriers, seven Red-shouldered Hawks, and 14 Red-tailed Hawks. Several late species were detected including a Chimney Swift, a male Ruby-throated Hummingbird, and a Northern Rough-winged Swallow. Things picked up in a major way in the final two hours of the count when a massive evening flight commenced. In the final hour and 45 minutes of the count, an astonishing 442 Wood Ducks, 9,097 Tree Swallows, and 17,191 American Robins were counted moving south!

Golden Eagle

Tomorrow looks like it will have a rainy start to the day followed by building northeast winds in the afternoon. If the rain clears out quickly enough, the northeast winds could prompt some raptor movement in the second half of the day. Looking ahead, northwest winds return Tuesday followed by a shift to southwest Wednesday, and another cold front bringing northwest once again on Thursday. Migration this time of year is an incredible spectacle, and this week will surely have some more amazing movements!

Follow along with our counts live every morning on our Trektellen pages:

Sunset Beach Morning Flight: https://trektellen.nl/count/view/3748/20251102

Kiptopeke Hawkwatch: https://trektellen.nl/count/view/4022/20251102

Eastern Shore Migration Update: October 31-November 1

Blasting west winds arrived on the Eastern Shore on the final day of October. Blackbirds, robins, and Yellow-rumped Warblers continue to dominate the Sunset Beach flight, and 39 species and 5332 individuals were counted. Waterbirds were also on the move pushed up against the bay shore by the strong winds and the roaring surf. Highlights included a nice push of 90 Northern Gannets and a group of four Brown Boobies with one gannet! Brown Boobies are now a regular summer presence in the upper Chesapeake. Though still a rare sight on the Eastern Shore, Brown Boobies seem to pass by Sunset Beach with some regularity once gannets move into the bay. 

Ducks were also on the moving with 33 American Wigeons being the most numerous species. A late Chimney Swift was also nice to see. At the Kiptopeke Hawkwatch the Swainson’s Hawk was seen kiting on the bayside of the platform before drifting north again. Other raptors were fairly slow other than a handful of 22 Sharp-shinned Hawks moving south. Two Caspian Terns and a Baltimore Oriole were on the late side for both species. The continuing Say's Phoebe also put in its final appearance up at Custis Tomb Drive just north of Kiptopeke.

Say's Phoebe

Winds November 1st were lighter and out of the west-northwest. A fair number of waterfowl were still moving around, and two first-of-season Red-throated Loons were counted. Two late Black-throated Blue Warblers were also nice to see, a southbound female and a northbound male. Chipping Sparrows had their biggest day so far with 68 northbound individuals counted. 

Raptors continue to trickle through at the Kiptopeke Hawkwatch. The celebrity Swainson’s Hawk appeared for its third day in a row, and after drifting around on the bayside it eventually cruised south. It will be very interesting to see if this long-staying individual reappears, or if it has finally moved on to make the bay crossing. Other nice birds were a southbound Lesser Yellowlegs, a Ruby-throated Hummingbird at the feeder, and a strong blackbird flight consisting of 3095 Red-winged Blackbirds and 1532 Brown-headed Cowbirds.

Winds shift to the southwest overnight and will be lighter and variable tomorrow before shifting around to the east. Northeast winds build Monday before switching around to another northwest blast Monday night into Tuesday.

Keep up with both of CVWO’s counts with our daily migration update on Facebook, Instagram, and the CVWO Blog: 

https://vawildliferesearch.org/cvwo-blog-1

Follow along with our counts live every morning on our Trektellen pages:

Sunset Beach Morning Flight: https://trektellen.nl/count/view/3748/20251101

Kiptopeke Hawkwatch: https://trektellen.nl/count/view/4022/20251101