Calmer conditions transitioning to light southwesterly winds produced a strong southbound flight of forward migrant passerines this morning. Totals of 37 species and 4862 individuals were counted.
The flight this morning was dominated by blackbirds and finches, while American Robins took a backseat with only 641 counted. Red-winged Blackbirds were streaming by all morning totaling 2527. Rusty Blackbirds totaled 16, an uncommon migrant typically detected in low numbers. American Goldfinches had a strong showing with 246, and Pine Siskins had a bit of a resurgence with 117. One highlight was the first-of-season and site second Vesper Sparrow, which perched up nicely in the cherry grove to the south of the count site. Another hummingbird sp. zipped by to the south, evidently unaware of the full feeder at Kiptopeke.
The Kiptopeke Hawkwatch recorded high numbers of southbound passerines as usual for this time of year, with good counts of 3410 American Robins, 602 American Goldfinches, 208 Pine Siskins, 3737 Red-winged Blackbirds, 935 Brown-headed Cowbirds, and 120 Rusty Blackbirds. Raptors remain a trickle totaling 16 individuals today.
A thorough scan of the Custis Tomb flats in the evening just north of Arlington produced a first-cycle Franklin’s Gull, a rare vagrant to the east coast typically associated with strong cold fronts and fast-moving low-pressure systems in late fall. A coming cold front and low this weekend could be poised to bring another batch of Franklin’s as well as other western vagrants. Tomorrow looks like another calm, clear day, and many flocking songbirds will likely continue streaming south.
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/3748/20261110
