Conditions this morning on the lower Eastern Shore were very similar to yesterday morning, still windy and damp with strong 20-25 mph north winds and persistent mist. Overnight migration was again minimal, though slightly more reorienting migrants were counted this morning during the Sunset Beach Morning Flight Count. Though bay watching was slow, there were a few nice surprises and conditions eventually cleared allowing for a few birds to start flying. Totals of 29 species and 278 individuals were counted.
A couple of warblers were moving, highlighted by eight Northern Parulas and a Blackpoll Warbler. Very few waterfowl were migrating with only three distant Surf/Black Scoters, but a surprise northbound Snow Goose low over the bay and two Common Loons were nice to see. There was a nice later morning liftoff of raptors including 39 Sharp-shinned Hawks and a Red-shouldered Hawk missing many primary feathers on one wing.
The Kiptopeke Hawkwatch had a slower day, with few raptors counted even after the mist stopped and skies cleared. Nine Osprey, 16 Sharp-shinned and eight Cooper’s were the most numerous species counted. A Lincoln’s Sparrow was hanging around again, typically a fairly rare migrant on the Eastern Shore.
Late fall is well-known for vagrants and rarities on the Eastern Shore, and a Western Tanager at the Edward S. Brinkley Nature Preserve was a nice surprise in with a mixed flock. We will be keeping a close eye out for other strays with more favorable conditions in the coming days for more western migrants.
Clear conditions tonight with a steady north wind provided ideal conditions for a big liftoff to our north, and tomorrow should be a much busier day than the last few days! Northerly winds continue for the rest of the week, and it should be a great time to see active migration and lots of late season migrants arriving wintering species like waterfowl and sparrows. As always, there’s the chance for something totally unexpected in the mix!
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/3748/20251014
Kiptopeke Hawkwatch: https://trektellen.nl/count/view/4022/20251014
