Morning Flight – 18 September 2014

Today held a light and quick-lived flight at the dike. Still at this time of the fall it's difficult to not see over 10 species of warblers on any given day. Perhaps tomorrow or Monday and Tuesday will be when our surge of migration really returns!

Weather and time: sunny and clear; 58–63 ºF; winds NNE at 1-3 mph; 5% cloud cover; very good visibility; 0643 sunrise; 2.25 hours.
    
       Morning Flight Count totals:  
Ruby-throated Hummingbird (Archilochus colubris)  1
Red-bellied Woodpecker (Melanerpes carolinus)  1
Downy Woodpecker (Picoides pubescens)  2
Northern Flicker (Colaptes auratus)  2
Red-eyed Vireo (Vireo olivaceus)  1
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher (Polioptila caerulea)  3
American Robin (Turdus migratorius)  4
European Starling (Sturnus vulgaris)  39
Cedar Waxwing (Bombycilla cedrorum)  41
Northern Waterthrush (Parkesia noveboracensis)  15
Black-and-white Warbler (Mniotilta varia)  7
American Redstart (Setophaga ruticilla)  32
Northern Parula (Setophaga americana)  10
Yellow Warbler (Setophaga petechia)  3
Chestnut-sided Warbler (Setophaga pensylvanica)  1
Blackpoll Warbler (Setophaga striata)  4
Bay-breasted/Blackpoll Warbler (Setophaga castanea/striata)  5
Black-throated Blue Warbler (Setophaga caerulescens)  5
Palm Warbler (Setophaga palmarum)  3
Pine Warbler (Setophaga pinus)  1
Prairie Warbler (Setophaga discolor)  1
Black-throated Green Warbler (Setophaga virens)  1
warbler sp. (Parulinae sp.)  17
Blue Grosbeak (Passerina caerulea)  1
Bobolink (Dolichonyx oryzivorus)  1
House Finch (Haemorhous mexicanus)  6
American Goldfinch (Spinus tristis)  6

There's no full list for today, yet. The most unusual non-Morning Flight species observed was Mute Swan.

A Black-throated Blue Warbler often announces itself with a junco-like flight call.

Studying the shape and profile of the songbirds is the key to success up on the dike. Here, Northern Parula.

Mute Swan-- not a neotropical migrant passerine! (Photos by: Glen Davis)