Reasons to walk the trails

Landbird migration was strong on the point today with many birds already present this morning and large numbers arriving well after sunrise. Most common were Swainson's Thrush and Yellow-rumped Warbler but other common species were present in good numbers including Blue Jay, Cedar Waxwing, and White-throated Sparrow.

New birds for the fall arriving today included 3 Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers, a Gray Catbird, and 2 Rusty Blackbirds while other notables included 2 Black-backed Woodpeckers, 2 Least Flycatchers, 3 Ruby-crowned Kinglets, 1 Veery, 1 Gray-cheeked Thrush, 9 warbler species (including 1 Pine, small numbers of both Blackpoll and Bay-breasted, and a Northern Waterthrush), a couple Clay-colored Sparrows, a new Field Sparrow, and a few additional Lapland Longspurs.

The weather is suppose to more of the same for Monday and Tuesday so hopefully all the birds that were staged to the north of us didn't come through today and there will be more to enjoy in the near future.

Scott

WARBLERS!!!

From the walk out to the shack this morning it was clear that there were a lot of birds on the point. But the true number wasn't revealed until the birds began to move with first light and the trees began to drip. Huge numbers of passerines had piled up on the point through the night and even as waves continued to arrive in the early morning hours there were birds taking advantage of western winds and departing the point. Standing at the shack I watched hundreds, upon, hundreds of warblers moving south and east with the storms and yet the woods still dripped with birds.

All of the 25 regular occurring fall warblers were found this morning and afternoon and while most birds evaded our eyes the ones that could be found included

Tennessee 150

Orange-crowned 4

Nashville 40

Northern Parula 5

Yellow Warbler 3

Chestnut-sided 2

Magnolia 75

Cape May 75

Black-throated Blue 4

Yellow-rumped (Myrtle) 100

Black-throated Green 8

Blackburnian 8

Pine 2

Palm 30

Bay-breasted 15

Blackpoll 115

Black-and-white 5

American Redstart 25

Ovenbird 9

Northern Waterthrush 2

Connecticut 1 (along the south side of the "Fog Horn" Pond)

Mourning 2

Common Yellowthroat 4

Wilson's 5

Canada 3

Other migrant numbers included:

Black-backed Woodpecker 1

Yellow-bellied Flycatcher 1

Alder Flycatcher 1

Least Flycatcher 2

Philadelphia Vireo 4

Red-eyed Vireo 2

Brown Creeper 6

House Wren 1

Golden-crowned Kinglet 10

Ruby-crowned Kinglet 3

Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 6

Veery 1

Gray-cheeked Thrush 5

Swainson's Thrush 150

Hermit Thrush 5

Cedar Waxwing 125

Lincoln's Sparrow 6

Rose-breasted Grosbeak 1

I know not every day in September can be this good but this sure was one heck of a way to ring in the new month at the point.

Scott

Ovenbird

Black-and-white Warbler

American Redstart

Blackpoll Warbler

Magnolia Warbler

Black-throated Blue Warbler

Cape May Warbler