Sept 19, 2021
By Michelle Davis
Although we still haven’t had a 50+ bird day yet, we are closing in on 550 birds banded for the season and several new species have arrived in the last week. Our top day for numbers so far was on Sept 11, with 45 birds banded of 10 species. A little pulse of Cape May Warblers came through that weekend, and we banded 4 in total while many more were seen onsite and around the county. Some falls we don’t see many Cape Mays at all, so this year they seem to be abundant and are arriving down here somewhat early.
We finally caught our first Veery today; a species that we usually can pick up by the first or second week of Sept. Other new species include Magnolia Warbler, Hooded Warbler and Yellow-throated Warbler.
It is possible that the lack of busy days is related to the absence of fronts that sweep down the Florida peninsula this season. All our wind shifts have been due to high pressure systems moving around, and the fronts are stalling at the Florida-Georgia border (if they even get there). Migrants will push on past a front and continue south, but we won’t expect to get the fallout conditions that lead to big banding (and birding) days. They’re coming through, but no spectacular numbers yet.
The long-range weather forecast is teasing us with the possibility of a front getting all the way down to us sometime next week. Late September is a good time for the first real humidity-breaking front, and is also the peak of diversity for migration. Here’s hoping…
Male Hooded Warbler by Michelle Davis
Veery by Miriam Avello
Cape May Warbler by Miriam Avello