29 September 2011 - Morning Flight

Don't worry, there's still a morning flight count going on at Higbee Beach! There hasn't been very much to report recently, but a trickle of birds is continuing to pass through. Birding in the woods and around Cape May Point has varied from mediocre to splendid, however - on occasion this week, the north edge of the woods at Higbee Beach has filled up with songbird flocks even though most are not engaging in redirected morning flight (top species number-wise this week include Red-eyed Vireo, Northern Parula, and Blackpoll Warbler).

Today's highlight at Higbee was not at the Dike, but further south along the main path - a vagrant Black-throated Gray Warbler, most likely an immature female, was found by Jonathan Wasse and seen by many birders over the time it was in view.

Black-throated Gray Warbler - Higbee Beach 9/29/11 (photo by Tom Johnson)

I'm quite excited about the morning flight possibilities for Friday through Sunday (with Saturday being the expected big day based on the weather forecast). A passing cold front should drop temperatures and shift the wind around to a favorable west/ northwest vector sometime tomorrow. After a very slow September migration-wise, we are certainly ready for this one!