September has officially come to a close, and with it, I'll again take the opportunity to summarize Cape May Bird Observatory's Morning Flight count. With the bulk of the neotropical migrants already south of us, we've now totaled over 30,000 birds since mid-August (16 August - 30 September). This includes 10,240 identified warblers - and 8,353 warbler spuhs - of an exceptional 34 species! Two of these species are new to Morning Flight, since its official inception in 2003: Kentucky Warbler and Mourning Warbler. The other major September highlight was a huge Blackpoll Warbler flight on 9/29, with 1068 counted (and an estimate of 2500+) - a Cape May County record.
After a mostly below-average fall, the past week has been sizzling at Cape May, including three massive morning flights (9/24, 9/29, and 9/30). I think many people wonder about the prospects of timing a visit to Cape May, which can be either underwhelming, the experience of a lifetime, or fall somewhere in-between. With this in mind, I divided this fall's warbler flights into four, numerical categories:
poor (<100 individuals) = 25 days
good (100 - 500) = 14 days
great (500 - 1000) = 2 days
mind-blowing (>1000) = 5 days
Thus, the chances of visiting during an overwhelming flight aren't huge (11%), but almost half of the days (46%) contain at least a good passage of warblers.
Of course, there are more than just warblers. This fall has already been the best fall on record for Red-breasted Nuthatches (1511), with four triple-digit tallies already: 374 (8/29), 236 (9/24), 164 (9/27), and 157 (9/11). [Another 213 were registered today, 10/1]. Red-bellied Woodpeckers (71), Red-eyed Vireos (334), and Tennessee Warblers (93) have already passed in above-average numbers, with more migration left to go. Although the migration window for Ruby-throated Hummingbirds (179), Blue-gray Gnatcatchers (494), and Northern Waterthrushes (902) has all but concluded, each of these numbers are well above-average. On the other hand, it has been a below-average year for Nashville Warblers (16), Black-throated Blue Warblers (330), Black-throated Green Warblers (50), and Baltimore Orioles (256).
White-winged Dove - 1
Yellow-billed Cuckoo - 5
Ruby-throated Hummingbird - 179
Red-headed Woodpecker - 5
After a mostly below-average fall, the past week has been sizzling at Cape May, including three massive morning flights (9/24, 9/29, and 9/30). I think many people wonder about the prospects of timing a visit to Cape May, which can be either underwhelming, the experience of a lifetime, or fall somewhere in-between. With this in mind, I divided this fall's warbler flights into four, numerical categories:
poor (<100 individuals) = 25 days
good (100 - 500) = 14 days
great (500 - 1000) = 2 days
mind-blowing (>1000) = 5 days
Thus, the chances of visiting during an overwhelming flight aren't huge (11%), but almost half of the days (46%) contain at least a good passage of warblers.
Of course, there are more than just warblers. This fall has already been the best fall on record for Red-breasted Nuthatches (1511), with four triple-digit tallies already: 374 (8/29), 236 (9/24), 164 (9/27), and 157 (9/11). [Another 213 were registered today, 10/1]. Red-bellied Woodpeckers (71), Red-eyed Vireos (334), and Tennessee Warblers (93) have already passed in above-average numbers, with more migration left to go. Although the migration window for Ruby-throated Hummingbirds (179), Blue-gray Gnatcatchers (494), and Northern Waterthrushes (902) has all but concluded, each of these numbers are well above-average. On the other hand, it has been a below-average year for Nashville Warblers (16), Black-throated Blue Warblers (330), Black-throated Green Warblers (50), and Baltimore Orioles (256).
White-winged Dove - 1
Yellow-billed Cuckoo - 5
Ruby-throated Hummingbird - 179
Red-headed Woodpecker - 5
Red-bellied Woodpecker - 71
Yellow-belled Sapsucker - 11
Downy Woodpecker - 2
Downy Woodpecker - 2
Northern Flicker - 1265
Olive-sided Flycacther - 1
Olive-sided Flycacther - 1
Eastern Wood-Pewee - 30
"Traill's" Flycatcher - 1
Least Flycatcher - 1
Empidonax sp. - 22
"Traill's" Flycatcher - 1
Least Flycatcher - 1
Empidonax sp. - 22
Eastern Phoebe - 22
Great Crested Flycatcher - 1
Eastern Kingbird - 403
Philadelphia Vireo - 5
Great Crested Flycatcher - 1
Eastern Kingbird - 403
Yellow-throated Vireo - 1
Blue-headed Vireo - 2
Warbling Vireo - 2Blue-headed Vireo - 2
Philadelphia Vireo - 5
Red-eyed Vireo - 334
Red-breasted Nuthatch - 1511
White-breasted Nuthatch - 1
Golden-crowned Kinglet - 2
Ruby-crowned Kinglet - 24
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher - 494
American Robin - 164
Veery - 2
Veery - 2
Swainson's Thrush - 3
Northern Mockingbird - 21
American Pipit - 3
American Pipit - 3
Cedar Waxwing - 4282
Golden-winged Warbler - 1
Blue-winged Warbler - 3
"Brewster's" Warbler - 1
Golden-winged/"Brewster's" Warbler - 2
Golden-winged Warbler - 1
Blue-winged Warbler - 3
"Brewster's" Warbler - 1
Golden-winged/"Brewster's" Warbler - 2
Tennessee Warbler - 93
Nashville Warbler - 16
Northern Parula - 1672
Yellow Warbler - 428
Chestnut-sided Warbler - 60
Magnolia Warbler - 70
Cape May Warbler - 81
Black-throated Blue Warbler - 330
Yellow-rumped Warbler - 81
Black-throated Green Warbler - 50
Yellow-throated Warbler - 1
Yellow-throated Warbler - 1
Blackburnian Warbler - 34
Pine Warbler - 18
Prairie Warbler - 41
Palm Warbler - 789
Bay-breasted Warbler - 14
Blackpoll Warbler - 1646
"Baypoll" Warbler - 45
"Baypoll" Warbler - 45
Black-and-white Warbler - 479
American Redstart - 3296
Prothonotary Warbler - 2
Worm-eating Warbler - 10
Prothonotary Warbler - 2
Worm-eating Warbler - 10
Ovenbird - 23
Northern Waterthrush - 902
Louisiana Waterthrush - 7
Kentucky Warbler - 1
Louisiana Waterthrush - 7
Kentucky Warbler - 1
Mourning Warbler - 1
Connecticut Warbler - 22
Wilson's Warbler - 1
Common Yellowthroat - 9
Hooded Warbler - 1
Wilson's Warbler - 5
Canada Warbler - 5
Hooded Warbler - 1
Wilson's Warbler - 5
Canada Warbler - 5
warbler sp. - 8353
Summer Tanager - 4
Scarlet Tanager - 72
Chipping Sparrow - 4
Clay-colored Sparrow - 2
Lark Sparrow - 2
Savannah Sparrow - 15
Dark-eyed Junco - 1
Summer Tanager - 4
Scarlet Tanager - 72
Chipping Sparrow - 4
Clay-colored Sparrow - 2
Lark Sparrow - 2
Savannah Sparrow - 15
Dark-eyed Junco - 1
Rose-breasted Grosbeak - 38
Blue Grosbeak - 27
Indigo Bunting - 182
Dickcissel - 11
Dickcissel - 11
Bobolink - 2613
Orchard Oriole - 4
Baltimore Oriole - 256
Orchard Oriole - 4
Baltimore Oriole - 256
Purple Finch - 27
Pine Siskin - 11
Total = 30,750
