Winds this morning at Sunset Beach were lighter from the west shifting more west-southwesterly. Overnight migration was limited and precipitation in the area and low cloud limited forward migration, though as usual there were still plenty of birds to see at Sunset Beach. Totals of 39 species and 320 individuals were counted.
Waterbirds played a more significant role in this morning’s
migration. Brown Pelicans passed by in several good-sized flocks throughout the
morning, totaling 83. A single low westbound flock of Common Terns contributed significantly
to the total of 45. A tight flock of 22 Least Sandpipers also shot low through
the parking lot. The Chesapeake Bay offered several more nice sightings
including four Black Terns, one Wilson’s Storm-Petrel, and the season’s first
Parasitic Jaeger, a fairly rare visitor to the Chesapeake Bay. The two adult
Brown Boobies also appeared this morning, offering much closer views this
morning than in previous days as they moved south over the bay.
There was still a fair amount of diversity of other
migrants, though generally fewer in number overall. Swallows were slow, with
only 21 Barn and seven Northern Rough-winged. Fifteen Blue-gray Gnatcatchers
were counted, including the season’s first northbound individual. Warblers
remained slow, with eight American Redstart, two Northern Waterthrush, and one
Northern Yellow Warbler. A Merlin also shot by over the campground, continuing
the trend of early raptors on the count over the past few days.
Winds shift more northerly overnight and are forecasted to
be blowing north-northwest by morning. Northwest winds are typically the most
productive winds for overnight migration on the Eastern Shore, though
precipitation to the north may keep the flight a bit calmer overall.
Stay tuned for tomorrow’s daily migration update on CVWO social
media and the CVWO blog: https://vawildliferesearch.org/cvwo-blog
And follow along with the count live every morning on
Trektellen: https://trektellen.nl/count/view/3748/20260810
