There was a big thunderstorm late yesterday evening that went into the night – even the Ticat game was delayed. But not the migrants. As soon as it was over (and most of the storm was to the north of us) they must have taken off, the urge to get going south a little more pressing now perhaps than it was a week ago. I’m not sure what transpired to bring them down but….we had a bunch of them, including a Whack of Warblers. (Most people don’t know that a Whack of Warblers is the correct vernacular for this grouping…..). The first couple of net rounds were quite busy – a pleasant change from the tedium of the last few days. We ended up banding 61 birds; over 60 percent of them were warblers! We also had 3 firsts for the season: Swainson’s Thrush, Philadelphia Vireo, and Cape May Warbler.

Banded 61:
3 Mourning Doves
2 Eastern Wood Pewees
1 Yellow-bellied Flycatcher
1 Black-capped Chickadee
4 Swainson’s Thrushes
1 American Robin
1 Cedar Waxwing

1 Philadelphia Vireo
7 Red-eyed Vireos (the ones Bruce Murphy warned us about?)

1 Blue-winged Warbler
3 Tennessee Warblers
1 Nashville Warbler
3 Cape May Warblers
2 Magnolia Warblers
1 Black-throated Blue Warbler

1 Blackburnian Warbler
5 Bay-breasted Warblers
16 Blackpoll Warblers
1 Canada Warbler
2 American Redstarts
1 Ovenbird
3 Song Sparrows

ET’s: 57 spp.
Rick