Well, the central flyway was cranking last night, while the northeast was under less than perfect migratory conditions (but if you’re one of those “look on the bright side” kinda people, that news should have you excited about the next couple of nights since frontal systems affecting the US typically move from west to east). Still, there was
some migration over New Jersey last night even during the unstable weather. Here’s the loop from sunset last night through sunrise this morning. The large signal that appears over the Delaware river after the rain passes is only partially bird migration, based on the velocity image.
Good Birding
One response to “Migration and weather”
While the numbers for everything except Veeries,
Red-eyed Vireos, and empids were really nothing
extraordinary (and the number of Veeries around since
last evening is kind of extraordinary) there was a
fine diversity of mainly neotropical migrant
passerines at Higbee’s Beach this morning. 20 species
of wood-warblers were seen by me, but most were
singletons. worth mentioning were:
the first migrant Flickers I have seen- just 4
among the 25 or so Empids (more or less evenly split
by Leasts and negligibly eye-ringed Traill’s) were 2
Yellow-bellieds
3 juv E. Wood-pewees
1 Warbling Vireo (Warbling Vireos, though common
everywhere else, do not nest, and are uncommon
migrants here)
2 Philadelphia Vireos
easily 60 Red-eyed Vireos
3 Tennessee’s- including one who strangely enough was
a dead ringer for a spring adult male
1 Nashville
1 Brewster’s Warbler- an incredibly bright yellow,
white and blue bird, who nearly took an eye out (mine)
he was so incensed by pishing
20 or so Northern Waterthrushes
28 or so Black and Whites
3 Canada Warblers
1 imm female Prothonotary- getting late
1 Blackpoll- I think the first I saw was Monday
75 (at least) Baltimore Orioles- it was not uncommon
to see 10-20 cross a field or a gap in their follow
the leader style.
2 Rose-breasted Grosbeaks were the first I’ve seen.
Another was at the Hawkwatch
3 Gull-billed Terns, an Ad. with 2 juvs in tow -flew
across and over the hawkwattch.
a Peregrine sort of stooping on a flying Snowy Egret,
causing the heron to drop like a rock into the pond
with the second swipe was fun to watch. Either a
hungry or a bored peregrine I guess.
a Wilson’s Snipe admirably spotted by the hawkwatcher
‘come store manager was the first I’ve seen this fall.
Goes hand in hand with Bitterns and butter-butts I
guess.
2 juv Bald Eagles were quite obliging this afternoon,
over the bunker pond
White-rumped Sandpipers are still easily seen on the
bunker Pond as well.
Between the rips and the ponds there were probably a
dozen Black Terns, at the Point, and I hear tell that
a flock of 16 flew along the Canal as seen from the
Dike at Higbee’s. Black Terns have been very easy to
see from the hawkwatch- but as with everything else,
it is difficult to gauge if the same 3-5 are just
making a circuit, or are small flocks are passing
through. On that note, I happened to check out
Jennifer Hanson’s blog for today (after running into
the author in the wilds of Higbee’s Beach)- there is
some interesting information for this date and the
number of Black Terns around at the tern (sic) of the
last Century on it. Apparently 70 or so were at
Petty’s Island, Camden Co. on this date 99 years ago.
Worthwhile reading.
Cheers
CJV
Cape May, NJ