Since migration and weather are inextricably linked, slow days have a tendency to come in stretches, and it seems like we’re still in that stretch. There were birds up on the radar last night, but precious little was moving past Higbee this morning. In addition to ENE winds the night before, there was a beautiful but looming storm front sat over Delaware Bay at dawn, obscuring the Brandywine Shoal lighthouse.
Even on mornings when the winds are right (and it was still at dawn), cloudy skies can stifle migratory activity. When a burst of sun illuminates the woods, warblers will often zip out of cover and shoot across the dike. But that activity can shut down rapidly if a cloud moves to cover the warm light. We don’t really know why cloudy skies have that effect; it’s just another mystery of morning flight!
Despite the quiet morning, there were, as always, a few things worth mentioning. We had our first Belted Kingfisher of the season, an adult female that flew across a rainbow left by the brief passage of the thin storm line. Herons and egrets continue moving, with Great and Snowy Egret and Green and Great Blue Herons in attendance. Sometimes easterly winds can produce big heron flights in Cape May by pushing flocks off the ocean and onto the point, which is really cool to see.
Tomorrow’s mostly westerly winds should produce some movement, but we are looking forward to the West-Northwest winds forecasted to occuring during Tuesday night and Wednesday morning! That will hopefully bring in a much-needed dose of diversity and abundance.
As always, you can find the link to the official count on Trektellen here and the complete eBird checklist here. Photos from the morning can be found below.
Bring on Day 14!
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| This Solitary Sandpiper circled around the pool on top of the dike several times before heading off. |
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| It's always tempting to add sound effects to warbler flight shots. |
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