Winds were again still this morning and skies were sunny during the Sunset Beach Morning Flight Count. A lack of overnight migration and negligible wind made for slow going again as expected. Totals of 24 species and 268 individuals were counted.
Most of the numbers this morning came from two southbound Brown-headed Cowbird flocks, totaling 165. Blackbirds will continue to increase in number throughout the month, along with other flocking birds like American Robins and Tree Swallows. Four more northbound Boat-tailed Grackles continued the interesting presence of this species on the count. Warblers were very slow with many of the birds opting to forage in the bushes, though it was nice to catch a northbound Nashville Warbler as it flew overhead.
The Kiptopeke Hawkwatch had a slightly slower day overall compared to previous days’ excitement, though good totals of several species including 43 Peregrine Falcons were counted. The Swainson’s Hawk was not seen again today, and its final appearance yesterday afternoon may well be the last we see of that individual on its travels. A late Bank Swallow was also notable for the date.
Migration will likely remain slow the next two days with south winds on Tuesday into Wednesday before a significant cold front arrives with rain Wednesday afternoon. With rain forecasted to clear out before nightfall and strong north winds following the passage of the front, Thursday will likely be a very big migration day on the shore for reorienting migrants and raptors alike.
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/3748/20251005
Kiptopeke Hawkwatch: https://trektellen.nl/count/view/4022/20251005
