Morning Flight – 22 August 2014

Showers and thunderstorms moved offshore just before dawn arrived at the Higbee Dike this Friday morning. A rainy night and a strengthening onshore flow joined forces to ensure that few migrants would be counted during today's observation period, but as always, there were interesting bits and pieces. The morning's highlight was a single Prothonotary Warbler that showed fairly well on two occasions. Shorebird numbers were also up a bit, with several flocks of peeps and Lesser Yellowlegs moving through as the morning progressed.

       Weather and time: mostly cloudy and humid with light rain during first 15min; 70–73ºF (dew point 66ºF); winds E to NE at 10–15mph; poor->good visibility; 2.25 hours.
   
       Morning Flight Count totals: 
Ruby-throated Hummingbird (Archilochus colubris)  5
Eastern Kingbird (Tyrannus tyrannus)  29
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher (Polioptila caerulea)  2
Cedar Waxwing (Bombycilla cedrorum)  9
Northern Waterthrush (Parkesia noveboracensis)  4
Prothonotary Warbler (Protonotaria citrea) 1
American Redstart (Setophaga ruticilla) 8
Yellow Warbler (Setophaga petechia)  1
warbler sp. (Parulinae sp.) 2
Blue Grosbeak (Passerina caerulea)  1
Indigo Bunting (Passerina cyanea) 2
Bobolink (Dolichonyx oryzivorus)  16
House Finch (Haemorhous mexicanus) 7

[TOP: Eastern Kingbird. BOTTOM: Prothonotary Warbler. Photos by Tom Reed.]