Morning Flight - 24 September 2012

Today's flight was, simply, outstanding!  In what turned out to be the best morning flight so far this fall, Northern Flickers stole the spotlight.  Cape May was quite literally inundated with flickers overnight; after only 62 cumulative flickers this month, 744 (!) were seen in northbound flight today.  They weren't the only woodpecker flying today either.  Red-bellied Woodpeckers (12) staged an impressive movement, especially if you consider that the season average at Morning Flight is only 42.  It was also a great flight for Red-eyed Vireos (62), Red-breasted Nuthatches (236), and Scarlet Tanagers (25).   

The flight had a noticeable infusion of later-fall migrants, and included the first Blue-headed Vireo (1), White-breasted Nuthatch (1), American Pipits (3), and Dark-eyed Junco (1).  White-breasted Nuthatches are quite uncommon on Cape Island (south of the Cape May Canal), and average only 9/year for Morning Flight.  In fact, in 3/9 years (33%), no White-breasted Nuthatches were registered.  This species also stages mini-irruptions, just on a much smaller scale than their diminutive cousins; fifty-two were recorded in 2010.          

For those who wonder about the feasibility (or believability) of in-flight warbler identification, you can be comforted by today's count: 77% of the warbler flight was left unidentified.  With early-morning winds from the Northeast, the majority of warblers flew in "spuh"-ville (warbler sp.) - that unfortunate region between us and the sun.  And many of these were only distant, little silhouette specks, at that.  Nevertheless, 2280 individuals of 21 species were tallied.

Yellow-billed Cuckoo - 1
Ruby-throated Hummingbird - 1
Red-bellied Woodpecker - 12
Northern Flicker - 744
Eastern Wood-Pewee - 3
Eastern Phoebe -  6
Eastern Kingbird - 2
Red-eyed Vireo - 62
Blue-headed Vireo - 1
Red-breasted Nuthatch - 236
White-breasted Nuthatch - 1
Ruby-crowned Kinglet - 3
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher - 2
American Robin - 24
American Pipit - 3
Cedar Waxwing - 1152
Tennessee Warbler - 6
Nashville Warbler - 2
Northern Parula - 152
Yellow Warbler - 2
Chestnut-sided Warbler - 9
Magnolia Warbler - 10
Cape May Warbler - 3
Black-throated Blue Warbler - 37
Yellow-rumped Warbler - 11
Black-throated Green Warbler - 9
Blackburnian Warbler - 2
Pine Warbler - 3
Palm Warbler - 110
Bay-breasted Warbler - 1
Blackpoll Warbler - 40
"Baypoll" Warbler - 1
Black-and-white Warbler - 56
American Redstart - 51
Ovenbird - 3
Northern Waterthrush - 15
Connecticut Warbler - 3
Wilson's Warbler - 1
warbler sp. - 1753
Scarlet Tanager - 25
Savannah Sparrow - 6
Dark-eyed Junco - 1
Rose-breasted Grosbeak - 4
Indigo Bunting - 17
Baltimore Oriole - 3
Purple Finch - 5

Total = 4591

Northern Flicker - the star of today's flight (Photo by Tom Reed)

Magnolia Warbler (Photo by Tom Reed)

Ovenbird (Photo by Tom Reed)

For comparison (and, really, what else would you do on a Cape May day), I spent the remainder of the later-morning, afternoon, and evening trekking around Cape May Point and the state park.  The warbler-ing was fantastic.   In all, I totaled another 225 individuals of 20 species (trading Cape May, Connecticut, and Wilson's Warbler for Prairie Warbler and Common Yellowthroat).  The most notable difference was the abundance of yellowthroats (59) on-the-ground.  This species is recorded in negligible numbers at Morning Flight, where they almost never engage in overhead, sustained flight.

Today was my best day so far this fall for both Magnolia (25) and Black-throated Green Warbler (21), which was represented by both counts.  There was an obvious increase in Pine Warblers around the point (9), which was not as apparent this morning at Higbee (3).  I was, however, surprised by the relative few Palm Warblers (16) post-Morning Flight.  Yellow Warblers (4) were scarce all-around today, but it was a good late-season flight for Black-and-white Warbler (78) and American Redstart (70), as evidenced by both counts in-the-air and on-the-ground.  

Tennessee Warbler - 1
Nashville Warbler - 1
Northern Parula - 30
Yellow Warbler - 2
Chestnut-sided Warbler - 2
Magnolia Warbler - 15
Black-throated Blue Warbler - 9
Yellow-rumped Warbler - 12
Black-throated Green Warbler - 12
Blackburnian Warbler - 1
Pine Warbler - 9
Prairie Warbler - 1
Palm Warbler - 16
Bay-breasted Warbler - 1
Blackpoll Warbler - 9
Black-and-white Warbler - 22
American Redstart - 19
Ovenbird - 3
Northern Waterthrush - 1
Common Yellowthroat - 59

Total = 225

Black-throated Green Warbler (Photo by Cameron Rutt)

Common Yellowthroat - Like this bird, numerous yellowthroats could be
 "pished" out of Cape May Point gardens (Photo by Cameron Rutt)

Other birds around the point today included Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (1), Philadelphia Vireo (1), Gray-cheeked Thrush (2), Wood Thrush (1), and White-throated Sparrow (1).