Westerly winds over the evening produced the first significant flight of
migrants at Sunset Beach this morning, with several hundred American Redstarts,
many dozens of Magnolia and Palm Warblers and Northern Parulas, and lesser
numbers of Northern Waterthrush, Prairie Warbler, Black-and-white Warbler,
Black-throated Blue Warbler, Black-throated Green Warbler, Cape May Warbler,
Bay-breasted Warbler, Blackpoll Warbler, Wilson's Warbler, Common Yellowthroat,
Blackburnian Warbler, Yellow Warbler, Chestnut-sided Warbler, Blue-winged
Warbler,
Nashville Warbler, and Ovenbird. One apparent Mourning Warbler was
photographed (in flight!) by Brian Sullivan there at 0800 or so. Also present
were many
Red-eyed Vireos, plus one Warbling Vireo and a probable Philadelphia Vireo.
Scarlet Tanagers, Baltimore Orioles, Bobolinks, Blue Grosbeaks, Indigo
Buntings, and Blue-gray Gnatcatchers were present in small numbers (fewer than
30
each). In Cape Charles town, a walk between 0600 and 0700 produced an
Olive-sided Flycatcher (my first here), Swainson's Thrush, Veery, Red-eyed
Vireo,
American Redstart, Black-throated Blue Warbler and Palm Warbler.
Sullivan commented that the west winds should have brought over a Swainson's
Hawk, to pass by Kiptopeke today. Just after 0900, Sam Stuart phoned to
report a Swainson's Hawk.
Ned Brinkley
Cape Charles, VA
