Today saw the arrival of a nor'easter type low pressure system moving up the coast bringing blasting northeast winds and rain to the Shore. Conditions were challenging, though bay watching was made possible by the sheltered deck of the Sunset Beach Bar and Grille. Totals of 23 species and 813 individuals were counted.
Rain and strong 30-40 mph winds all but killed the passerine morning flight with only a handful of brave Yellow-rumped Warblers zipping around and a few coming in off the bay. A few flocks of Tree Swallows were moving around as well. There were a few interesting sightings over the bay when haze temporarily cleared including a small duck flight and the season's first three Dunlin moving north.
Waterfowl were also detected by the hawkwatch crew from the Kiptopeke SP Fishing Pier, including most notably a drake Harlequin Duck! Likely a returning individual from last year, the Harlequin showed very well throughout the morning at the Fishing Pier and was even visible from Sunset Beach looking north. The hawk-turned-bay watchers also had a couple nice shorebird flyovers including seven Red Knots, a Lesser Yellowlegs, and a Least Sandpiper. Weather allowed a quick afternoon hawkwatch count that yielded four Osprey, two Sharp-shinned and one Cooper's Hawk, six Northern Harriers, an American Kestrel and two Merlins.
Winds will be somewhat calmer tomorrow and rain is forecasted to hold off until later tomorrow night, so our counts should be back to their regularly scheduled programming tomorrow. A major wind shift is still forecasted Friday which will bring very strong westerlies to the Eastern Shore with the arrival of a major cold front. West winds always have serious potential on the coast, and we're excited to see what shows up!
Follow along with our counts live every morning on our Trektellen pages:
Sunset Beach Morning Flight: https://trektellen.nl/count/view/3748/20251028
Kiptopeke Hawkwatch: https://trektellen.nl/count/view/4022/20251028
