Cape May Bird Observatory - Morning Flight (NJ) 2 August 2023

[Donkees]

https://njaudubon.org/watches/morning-flight/

Many songbirds, particularly warblers, are nocturnal migrants. However, in certain coastal areas such as Cape May, thousands of songbirds make brief migratory flights just after sunrise following fall cold fronts. What’s most fascinating about these morning flights is that birds are not flying south as one would expect. They’re flying north! This morning flight phenomenon has caught the attention of many birders and ornithologists over the years, including Witmer Stone who referred to the massive northward migration of flickers and smaller songbirds as one of the most striking ornithological sights of the region.

Why morning flight occurs is still unclear. However, like other migration events in Cape May, songbird migration is weather dependent. On some days few birds are seen; on others, thousands may be counted. Exceptional flights in excess of 100,000 birds have been recorded (October 16, 1990 & October 18, 1995).

In recent years, ambitious birders have gathered at Higbee to sharpen their skills in what must be birding’s toughest challenge: the flight identification of fall warblers. In 2003, after several years of volunteer counts, CMBO institutionalized the morning flight count by making it part of our research agenda.


Active 8/1 – 11/15

The Counts (scroll page for list of birds)

Yellow Warbler 69

August 2023
1 2

Cape May Bird Observatory - Morning Flight (NJ)
Wednesday 2 August 2023

Counting period: 05:46 - 10:01
Count type: all species
Weather (first period): wind NNE 4mph, cloud-cover 2/8, visibility 13500m, temperature 67 ℉
Observers (first period): Gautam Apte