20 September 2011 - Morning Flight

There was virtually no visible songbird movement this morning at Higbee Beach in Cape May. One Northern Parula thought it a good idea to fly north out of the woods; the little warbler was promptly dissuaded by a hunting Merlin, and the "morning flight" for the day was officially over. South winds are on deck for the near future, so I don't anticipate a significant flight for several days, though some birds might be moving if the wind is light enough.


In other news, I saw a Violet-green Swallow yesterday afternoon along the dune ponds between Cape May Point State Park and the Meadows. The bird was feeding with a Barn Swallow and disappeared to the north shortly after I got close looks and some photos. This is the third Violet-green Swallow in Cape May after one in November 1992 and another in October 1997. New Jersey's third record was from East Point, Cumberland County, in November 1999. Given the extreme rarity of this species in the east, it seems very strange to me that NJ now has 4 records.
The Violet-green Swallow might have been seen from a boat in Cape May harbor today, but it was unconfirmed as far as I know. Since the other two Cape May birds stuck around for several days, I wouldn't be surprised if this one reappears soon. Good luck!