Morning Flight – 2 September 2014

A light, but pleasant and well-seen flight happened today up at the Higbee dike. Activity dropped way down after the first hour. American Redstart and Bobolink were both seen at high altitudes. It seems like the SW winds today were strong enough to put the charge into the migration activity in evidence.

       Weather and time: sunny and humid; 73–81 ºF; winds SW at 8-10 mph; 5% cloud cover; good visibility; 0629 sunrise; 2.75 hours.
   
       Morning Flight Count totals: 

Ruby-throated Hummingbird (Archilochus colubris)  3
Red-bellied Woodpecker (Melanerpes carolinus)  1
Eastern Kingbird (Tyrannus tyrannus)  5
Red-eyed Vireo (Vireo olivaceus)  1
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher (Polioptila caerulea)  1
Cedar Waxwing (Bombycilla cedrorum)  66
Northern Waterthrush (Parkesia noveboracensis)  2
Blue-winged Warbler (Vermivora cyanoptera)  1
Black-and-white Warbler (Mniotilta varia)  1
American Redstart (Setophaga ruticilla)  49
Cape May Warbler (Setophaga tigrina)  1
Northern Parula (Setophaga americana)  1
Yellow Warbler (Setophaga petechia)  2
Black-throated Blue Warbler (Setophaga caerulescens)  2
Prairie Warbler (Setophaga discolor)  1
Wilson's Warbler (Cardellina pusilla)  1
warbler sp. (Parulinae sp.)  3
Dickcissel (Spiza americana)  1
Bobolink (Dolichonyx oryzivorus)  167
Baltimore Oriole (Icterus galbula)  1
House Finch (Haemorhous mexicanus)  42
American Goldfinch (Spinus tristis)  4
House Sparrow (Passer domesticus)  2

Today's full list can be viewed at: http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S19651219

Today's installment of photos is all about acorn-eaters! Blue Jay, here.

This female Wild Turkey had at least two older polts in her care to the south of the Morning Flight Platform, early at sunrise.

Eventually more of these acorn-eating fowl will be on the move-- blurry Red-bellied Woodpecker (Photos by: Glen Davis).