Barn Swallow numbers were down, with only 50 counted today compared to the triple digits of the last few days. A few terns were crossing the peninsula out to the bay early, including a tight flock of 13 Common Terns. Songbirds were even quieter, but included the season's first Yellow-throated Warbler moving south. A total of seven Willets were on the move, and a close northbound bird allowed for a nice view.
Willet
The local Northern Mockingbirds had a noticeable uptick in numbers today, with at least eight around the parking lot throughout the morning, many of them juveniles.
Juvenile Northern Mockingbird
Two Gray Catbirds were also around this morning, the first that have been present at the site so far this season. Large flights of this species regularly occur here later in the season, and it's nice to see these early arrivals around.
Gray Catbird overlooking the Chesapeake
Southwest winds will build over the next couple of days, and hopefully increasing windspeeds will encourage a few more birds to migrate. Southwest winds certainly have the potential to produce some interesting species, so we'll see what happens as the pattern shift continues.
Keep up with migration with daily migration updates right here on the CVWO Blog, and be sure to check out the Sunset Beach Morning Flight Count on Trektellen: https://trektellen.nl/site/info/3748
