http://www.vawildliferesearch.org/

Coastal Virginia Wildlife Observatory, P. O. Box 764, Lightfoot, VA (2026)

09/06/2026

Eastern Shore Migration Update: September 5, 2026

Northwest winds overnight broke the dam of migration-stifling southerlies, and a massive push of migrants arrived on the Eastern Shore. Sunset Beach saw a significant reorientation morning flight following the large overnight movement, and 66 species and 2077 individuals were counted.

The most intense action of the day started early when a flood of northbound American Redstarts and Eastern Kingbirds shot over the parking lot as the sun rose. These two species were the most abundant reorienting migrants, with 871 kingbirds and 464 redstarts counted. The northwesterly winds kept the flight line more or less directly overhead, allowing for great views of warblers of 19 species. Northern Waterthrushes and Northern Yellow Warblers had especially good days with 62 and 66 counted respectively. Songbird diversity was far from limited to warblers, with Olive-sided Flycatcher and Yellow-throated Vireo being major highlights, as well as five Veeries, one Swainson’s Thrush, one Dickcissel, and the season’s first Scarlet Tanager provided additional passerine diversity.

The Kiptopeke Hawkwatch also had a great day following the wind switch. Osprey were the bird of the day with 164 counted, many of which were actually in kettles and small groups dotting the sky. Other raptor highlights included two Mississippi Kites, and the Hawkwatch’s first four Merlins of the season. Migrant passerines also had some nice standouts at the Hawkwatch including a Cliff Swallow and yet another Olive-sided Flycatcher!

In a fairly typical cold front pattern, winds shifted throughout the day from northwest to a light northeast. While northeasterlies typically limit morning flight numbers, there will still be plenty of birds to count tomorrow, especially at the Hawkwatch where northeast winds are favorable.

Stay tuned for tomorrow’s daily migration update on CVWO social media and the CVWO blog: https://vawildliferesearch.org/cvwo-blog

And follow along with the count live every morning on Trektellen: https://trektellen.nl/count/view/3748/20260902

1. Northern Waterthrush
2. Northern Parula
3. Veery
4. Olive-sided Flycatcher

09/05/2026

Eastern Shore Migration Update: September 4, 2026

The ongoing heatwave on the Eastern Shore saved the worst for last, and today’s temperatures reached 90 degrees with some of the highest humidity anywhere on the globe. The beating sun and southwest winds brought migration over the peninsula to a total standstill throughout the day, though there were still some notable movements over the Chesapeake Bay. At Sunset Beach, totals of 20 species and 784 individuals were counted.

Surprisingly, terns comprised the bulk of the flight today at Sunset Beach. With virtually nothing happening in the sky above the peninsula, a steady southbound flight of terns was a welcome diversion. Sandwich Terns were the most abundant species with 377 counted, followed by 139 Common as well as 17 Royal and 7 Black Terns.

Migration otherwise was incredibly slow, though as in previous days a fair number of Eastern Kingbirds were still trickling through with 112 counted southbound and 88 northbound. Other songbird migrants were limited to six Barn Swallows, five Cedar Waxwings, and singles of Baltimore Oriole, American Redstart, and Summer Tanager.

The Kiptopeke Hawkwatch fared no better, with several hours of complete inactivity during the day. A very light northeast wind started up in the evening, and a nice little flight of raptors immediately materialized with 24 Osprey, two American Kestrels, and one each of Bald Eagle and Northern Harrier counted.

A cold front is forecasted to arrive in the area tomorrow morning, and conditions are favorable to our north for a significant liftoff of migrants. There are chances for heavy rainfall overnight as storms exit the area throughout the mid-Atlantic which could limit numbers, but there is strong potential for a significant morning flight tomorrow. North windsshifting to northeasterlies in the afternoon should make for an active day at the Kiptopeke Hawkwatch as well.

Stay tuned for tomorrow’s daily migration update on CVWO social media and the CVWO blog: https://vawildliferesearch.org/cvwo-blog

And follow along with the count live every morning on Trektellen: https://trektellen.nl/count/view/3748/20260904

Osprey

09/04/2026

Eastern Shore Migration Update: September 3, 2026

The heat wave continued this morning at Sunset Beach with clear skies and beating heat in the first two hours before low cloud cover rolled in in the last hour. Totals of 27 species and 629 individuals were counted.

The highlights today once again came from the Chesapeake Bay, where active feeding flocks twinkled far out on the horizon. Though views were distant, five likely continuing Brown Bo***es were exciting to see feeding with distant Laughing Gulls before they put down on the water and disappeared. A Parasitic Jaeger also showed well for a few minutes displaying classic kleptoparasite behavior as it endlessly harassed a distant tern. Five Blue-winged Teal were also counted, a flock of four and a singleton late in the morning moving south fairly close in.

Eastern Kingbirds were by far the predominant migrant counted overall, totaling 492 mostly southbound individuals though as in previous days, many birds were swirling around the count site and not counted. Other forward migrants were slow with 25 each of Purple Martin and Barn Swallow, 11 Blue-gray Gnatcatchers, and six Bobolinks. Warblers remained incredibly slow with the lack of overnight migration.

The Kiptopeke Hawkwatch was also very slow today under hot clear skies. Three Osprey and two Northern Harriers were the only raptors counted, and other migrants were likewise low in number, with the exception of the 335 Eastern Kingbirds counted.

Tomorrow is the last day of the heat wave before a cold front tomorrow brings temperatures down over the weekend. Cold fronts usually trigger significant movements of migrants, and we will be happy for slightly cooler weather for a few days as well!

Stay tuned for tomorrow’s daily migration update on CVWO social media and the CVWO blog: https://vawildliferesearch.org/cvwo-blog

And follow along with the count live every morning on Trektellen: https://trektellen.nl/count/view/3748/20260902

1. Caspian Tern

09/03/2026

Eastern Shore Migration Update: September 2, 2026

It was another hot, clear morning at Sunset Beach, with little more than a light west breeze off the bay to keep temperatures bearable. As the past few days have been, it was a slow day, though as always there were a few interesting highlights scattered throughout the morning. Totals of 32 species and 636 individuals were counted.

Eastern Kingbirds remain plentiful in the area, and the majority of the 480 counted this morning were southbound. A Merlin took advantage of the plentiful food supply and emerged from the picnic area pines with an unfortunate kingbird in its clutches. Freshly wary from their close brush with a raptorial death, a southbound Northern Harrier low over the count site later in the morning sent a cloud of kingbirds, robins, and starlings into the air.

Reorientation morning flight was again slow as anticipated given the conditions, consisting of six American Redstarts, four Northern Yellow Warblers, and a handful of warbler sp. glimpsed zipping into the trees and out to the east. Blue-gray Gnatcatchers are showing a bit of a resurgence in numbers with 19 counted. Other highlights included a rather low Gull-billed Tern moving south directly overhead, andthe season’s second Cape May Warbler.

A shift to a light northeast breeze this afternoon was all that was needed to kick the Kiptopeke Hawkwatch into gear. The best raptor numbers of the season so far were counted, with 45 American Kestrels, 32 Osprey, six Northern Harriers, two Broad-winged and two Red-shouldered Hawks, a Peregrine Falcon and a Mississippi Kite counted.

Conditions remain similar tomorrow, with stronger southwest winds and hot temperatures forecasted. The heat and unfavorable winds will continue through Friday, but a significant chance is anticipated by the weekend with a cold front passing Friday night.

Stay tuned for tomorrow’s daily migration update on CVWO social media and the CVWO blog: https://vawildliferesearch.org/cvwo-blog

And follow along with the count live every morning on Trektellen: https://trektellen.nl/count/view/3748/20260902

1. Merlin with kingbird prey
2. Eastern Kingbird
3. Blue-gray Gnatcatcher

09/02/2026

Eastern Shore Migration Update: September 1, 2026

The slow trend continued this morning at Sunset Beach on southwest winds and clear skies on this first day of September in the middle of an unseasonable heatwave. Totals of 19 species and 493 individuals were counted.

Very few migrants were moving again today with the exception of mostly northbound Eastern Kingbirds, 440 of which were counted before they began to swirl around the count site. Warblers were slow, represented by seven American Redstarts, four Northern Yellow Warblers, one Black-and-white Warbler and a Yellow-throated Warbler that dropped in close for nice views. One Northern Harrier was counted moving south early on. Similarly to yesterday, a distant Brown B***y appeared feeding out in the Chesapeake Bay bringing some excitement to another slower morning, though today’s individual was an adult. In the absence of a notable flight of migrants, our local Sunset birds are always around to watch including the parking lot Northern Mockingbirds and Royal Terns out in the bay.

The Kiptopeke Hawkwatch also remained slow. One Northern Harrier was counted alongside nine American Kestrels. There was a light southbound movement of forward migrants including 197 Barn Swallows and 23 Blue-gray Gnatcatchers. Another Striped Saddlebags appeared again today amid the ongoing irruption, and it will be interesting to see how long these southern dragonflies will continue to be detected this fall.

Looking forward to the coming days’ weather, tomorrow holds some potential for migratory activity with westerlies in the morning shifting around to northeast in the afternoon. Heavy rain over the mid-Atlantic states to our north will probably put an end to most overnight migration, though if the rain clears out before dawn a few birds may make it here. Northeasterlies in the afternoon could make for a better raptor flight too.

Stay tuned for tomorrow’s daily migration update on CVWO social media and the CVWO blog: https://vawildliferesearch.org/cvwo-blog

And follow along with the count live every morning on Trektellen: https://trektellen.nl/count/view/3748/20260901

1. Northern Mockingbird
2. Royal Tern

08/31/2026

Eastern Shore Migration Update: August 31, 2026

Southwest winds and heavy rain to the north overnight once again brought overnight migration to a halt. The southwesterlies also seemed to stall out diurnal forward migration, with very little moving around overall under the hot clear skies. Totals of 22 species and 473 individuals were counted.

In keeping with the death of overnight movement, reorienting warblers were incredibly slow for the date and only three American Redstarts, two Northern Yellow Warblers and one Black-and-white Warbler were counted. Eastern Kingbirds were present in large flocks foraging in the trees around the count site, though they constantly swirled around making their movements and numbers difficult to assess. A single flock of 122 Bobolinks rose up from somewhere to the south of the count and seemed indecisive before eventually continuing southbound.

The most interesting sightings of the day occurred out over the Chesapeake Bay, where an immature Brown B***y appeared close in in the early morning showing very well as it dove high over the water. A dark immature Parasitic Jaeger also made a very close pass right by the pylons in the last hour moving steadily south, the fifth jaeger for the count this year. It will be interesting to see how the jaeger flight shapes up this fall, as by this point last season only two Parasitic Jaegers had been counted.

It was also a slow one up at the Kiptopeke Hawkwatch, where the raptor total for the day consisted of seven American Kestrels and four Osprey. Despite the slow day, two southbound Black-bellied Whistling-Ducks appeared out to the east of the platform, representing a first record for the hawkwatch! A pattern has yet to emerge from the few whistling-duck appearances on our counts so far this fall, but it will be interesting to continue to monitor their wanderings as the season progresses.

Stay tuned for tomorrow’s daily migration update on CVWO social media and the CVWO blog: https://vawildliferesearch.org/cvwo-blog

And follow along with the count live every morning on Trektellen: https://trektellen.nl/count/view/3748/20260828

Eastern Kingbird

08/29/2026

Eastern Shore Migration Update: August 29, 2026

Favorable winds and clear skies over states to our north allowed for the most significant nocturnal migration of the season so far, and in turn the most reorienting migrants so far at Sunset Beach. Totals of 54 species and 1415 individuals were counted.

It was a good morning for warbler diversity and numbers in northbound morning flight. American Redstarts remained dominant with 142 counted, and Black-and-white Warblers followed with a solid total of 44. Warbler first-of-seasons included four Black-throated Blue, one Worm-eating, and one Bay-breasted Warbler as well as three Common Yellowthroats. A late Louisiana Waterthrush was nice to see as well. Baltimore Orioles had a good morning with 17 counted including several low flyover groups.

Other migratory diversity included three northbound Blue-winged and one early Green-winged Teal out over the bay. Shorebirds had a reasonable showing including a nice low Lesser Yellowlegs and a first-of-season Spotted Sandpiper.

The Kiptopeke Hawkwatch had the best raptor flight so far including 42 Osprey and 12 American Kestrels. An exciting development in CVWO’s Monarch research occurred, the tagging of the first Monarch of the 2026 season! Monarch Specialist Audrey Anderson deployed a Bluetooth tag on a butterfly named Brian in honor of our beloved late CVWO president Brian Taber. It was a special moment to watch this Monarch fly free after tagging and visit the butterfly garden created by its namesake. Brian’s migration will soon be visible on the free Project Monarch app, along with all the other Monarchs CVWO will be tagging this fall!

Winds shift towards the southeast tomorrow which could make for a good day for southbound diurnal migrants, and will be light enough that some raptor should continue to move as well.

Stay tuned for tomorrow’s daily migration update on CVWO social media and the CVWO blog: https://vawildliferesearch.org/cvwo-blog

And follow along with the count live every morning on Trektellen: https://trektellen.nl/count/view/3748/20260829

1. Northern Yellow Warbler
2. Baltimore Oriole
3. Lesser Yellowlegs
4. Tagged Monarch

08/28/2026

Eastern Shore Migration Update: August 28, 2026

Today’s Sunset Beach Morning Flight Count experienced light southwest winds and mostly overcast skies. Heavy overnight rain essentially halted overnight migration and made for a very slow morning, though the stalled frontal boundary over the Chesapeake Bay brought a few nice birds in. Totals of 23 species and 246 individuals were counted.

Diligent scans of the Chesapeake Bay with a few extra pairs of eyes yielded a few nice birds today. Black Terns were moving in their best numbers so far this season, with at least 12 individuals counted moving south and likely a few more hanging around to feed fairly close to shore. Two Brown Bo***es showed well as they actively dove way out on the horizon, and a southbound Parasitic Jaeger moving steadily south just past the pylons was also nice to see. Other bay birds included six Black Skimmers, four American Oystercatchers, the season’s first Common Loon, and a lone Black-bellied Plover.

The landbird flight was very slow by comparison. Reorientation morning flight was essentially nonexistent with only two northbound American Redstarts counted. Forward migrants were also very slow overall at both Sunset Beach and the Kiptopeke Hawkwatch also likely due to heavy rain to the north throughout the day. Raptors were slow as well, with only three Osprey, four American Kestrels, and one Peregrine Falcon counted. A female Striped Saddlebags brought a bit of insect diversity to the hawkwatch again.

The weather forecast for tonight into tomorrow holds a bit more migratory potential. Local rain mostly clears out overnight and the passing front pre-dawn brings stronger northeast winds to the area. While northeast winds limit the number of wind-drifted nocturnal migrants, light north winds in the northeast should still bring arriving migrants to the Eastern Shore tomorrow.

Stay tuned for tomorrow’s daily migration update on CVWO social media and the CVWO blog: https://vawildliferesearch.org/cvwo-blog

And follow along with the count live every morning on Trektellen: https://trektellen.nl/count/view/3748/20260828

1. Black Tern
2. Red-headed Woodpecker

08/28/2026

This week marked the beginning of the 2026 fall migration count at the Kiptopeke Hawkwatch!

Day one kicked off on Tuesday with the first raptor of the season came in the 10:00 hour, an immature Osprey soaring south directly above the platform! A total of 10 raptors were counted, including an immature Peregrine Falcon, an early season Sharp-shinned Hawk and a few Cooper’s Hawks. Broad-winged Hawks made consistent appearances throughout the day over the Hawkwatch and out east towards the Eastern Shore Wildlife Refuge, but showed no signs of moving Southward.

Join our seasonal counters everyday out in the platform located at Kiptopeke State Park on Virginia’s Eastern shore. They are out there recording raptor, and non-raptor observations and educating visitors who stop by!

08/28/2026

Eastern Shore Migration Update: August 27, 2026

South winds continued at Sunset Beach this morning. Forward migrants had another good day, while reorienting migrants were very slow. Totals of 30 species and 1793 individuals were counted.

The flight took a while to get moving, but once it did totals of 1010 Purple Martins, 500 Eastern Kingbirds, and 96 Barn Swallows were counted, with a few smaller groups of Bobolinks picked up in the morning totaling 63. Northbound morning flight was negligible with only 6 American Redstarts for the day and little else in the way of warblers. The Chesapeake Bay had a steady trickle of southbound terns dominated by 52 Commons.

The Kiptopeke Hawkwatch had another big flight of migrants throughout the day with a few nice raptors counted including three Peregrine Falcons and two Northern Harriers. Four Buff-breasted Sandpipers flying over together in the afternoon were a very nice surprise, and a rare sight from the platform. Impressive counts of forward migrants at the Hawkwatch included 3263 Barn Swallows, 2406 Purple Martins, 935 Eastern Kingbirds, and 247 Bobolink.

Cloudy conditions with light southwest winds tomorrow could make for another interesting day of forward migration, though a true shift in the weather will need to happen for nocturnal migration to kick into gear. That chance may develop on Friday night, though rain associated with the front could easily diminish the movement. Only time will tell how it will all play out.

Stay tuned for tomorrow’s daily migration update on CVWO social media and the CVWO blog: https://vawildliferesearch.org/cvwo-blog

And follow along with the count live every morning on Trektellen: https://trektellen.nl/count/view/3748/20260827

1. Purple Martin
2. Barn Swallow
3. Peregrine Falcons
4. Buff-breasted Sandpiper

Coastal Virginia Wildlife Observatory

09/06/2026

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09/03/2026

09/02/2026

08/31/2026

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