North winds and high overcast skies accompanied an active day of visible migration on the Eastern Shore. New high counts were obtained for two passerine migrants at Sunset Beach and raptor movements built throughout the day at the hawkwatch. Totals of 67 species and 3516 individuals were counted.
The birds of the day today at Sunset Beach were iconic early October species. Gray Catbirds had a strong flight with 404 counted as they shot north through the shrubs. Even more notable was the flight of 147 Blackpoll Warblers. Blackpolls are champion offshore migrants, performing over-ocean flights from the mid-Atlantic coast to South America. This count is nearly triple historical peak counts at this site, and a mere 20 were counted in the entire 2025 season. The recent drizzly nights and northeast winds may have brought higher numbers of this species to shore in recent days. Several other warblers appeared in good numbers as well including 29 Common Yellowthroat, 27 American Redstart, 34 Cape May Warbler, and 78 Northern Parula.
Other migrants had a strong showing at Sunset Beach as well, including a Gray-cheeked/Bicknell’s Thrush giving a high call early on, a good showing of nine Belted Kingfishers, an unusual wood-pewee showing a dark lower mandible, and the late lingering Mississippi Kite out over the refuge. Four Baltimore Orioles was a good count for the date, and eleven Indigo Buntings was the best count for the season so far.
The Kiptopeke Hawkwatch had a nice flight including a classic evening falcon flight kicking into gear later in the day. American Kestrels were the most numerous overall species totaling 238, followed by 190 Merlin, and 45 Peregrine Falcons were also a good count. Sharp-shinned Hawk numbers have yet to fully materialize, and only 87 were counted today.
A cold front pushing through the area tonight seems poised to bring a slew of arrivals to the area tomorrow, though northeasterly winds will trim down the totals of overnight migrants before dawn. It should still be a very active if chilly morning at Sunset Beach, hopefully followed by a great raptor flight.
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/3748/20261005
