[American Redstart flying past the Higbee dike. Photo © Tom
Reed.]
Weather: Light
west winds continued from overnight into the first couple hours of daylight,
but as expected, gradually shifted to the north and then east by afternoon.
Mid-day highs again reached the mid 80s. Near-stationary showers and
thunderstorms took up residence along much of the peninsula through the PM
hours.
Migration counts: Morning Flight (0619-0934), Hawkwatch (0630-1645)
[Red-breasted Nuthatch flying past the Higbee dike. Photo © Tom
Reed.]
Birding summary: A short-lived songbird flight was observed from the Higbee dike during
the early AM; the movement included 647 American Redstarts, 75 Northern Waterthrushes,
22 Red-breasted Nuthatches, and the season’s first Blackpoll Warbler. A southbound Bobolink movement was observed at Cape May Point, with 2300+ tallied
from the Hawkwatch. The day’s hawk flight was strongest during the late AM and
featured 114 Osprey. The evening brought a strong push of Common Nighthawks, with
468 counted from Cape May Pt. State Park and additional flocks seen elsewhere. A Black Tern was also seen at Cape May Pt. State Park during the evening.
Odes: An obvious
highlight was the Striped Saddlebags
that visited count staff atop the Higbee dike from ~8:45-9:00am. This
apparently represents the second 2018 record of this rare wanderer from the
South. Fair numbers of more expected migratory species, i.e. Common Green and
Swamp darners, Black Saddlebags, etc. were also noted at Cape Island.
[Striped Saddlebags at the Higbee dike. Photo © Tom Johnson.]
Additional information:
CMBO Twitter feed
(@cmbobirds)
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