Today’s sunset beach morning flight count was slow for reverse migration as anticipated with steady southwest winds. Forward migrants, namely Barn Swallows and Eastern Kingbirds, had a good day and heavily contributed to the total of 15 species and 544 individuals.
Barn Swallows (269) and Eastern Kingbirds (202) were moving early on in the day with a steady southbound trickle of tight groups passing low over the campground and parking lot. Interestingly this movement started well before the Kiptopeke Hawkwatch detected numbers of these species, with the bulk of their movement taking place later on in the day.
Other migrant species were few and far between today. A flock of ten very distant Blue-winged Teal southbound over the bay were nice to see, and represented a first-of-season for the count. A dark juvenile Peregrine Falcon came cruising by low, likely a local bird on the prowl and not an active migrant.
The menhaden trawling boats were out in the bay again today, a regular sight these days from Sunset Beach. These boats attract hundreds of birds hoping for an easy meal as the masses of fish are hauled in. Lots of Brown Pelicans moved past after congregating around the fleet.
The Kiptopeke Hawkwatch was also slow but still recorded a trickle of raptors including 9 Osprey, 2 Northern Harriers, 5 Broad-winged Hawks, and 2 American Kestrels. A flight of 611 Barn Swallows was also notable.
South winds continue for the next two trickle of raptors including 9 Osprey, 2 Northern Harriers, 5 Broad-winged Hawks, and 2 American Kestrels. A flight of 611 Barn Swallows was also notable.
South winds continue for the next two days and are unlikely to yield any kind of significant nocturnal migration, though some more swallows may continue to move into the winds. We continue to track the cold front moving in over the weekend, and Sunday and early next week could be productive.
Keep up with the daily Eastern Shore Migration Update right here on the CVWO Blog and be sure to check out our Trektellen pages for real-time updates:
Sunset Beach Morning Flight: https://trektellen.nl/count/view/3748/20250903
Kiptopeke Hawkwatch: https://trektellen.nl/count/view/4022/20250903
