Bird count updates from Jonathan Irons 2022 Special Projects Turkey Point Bird Count 2022

Updates from Turkey Point –11/15/22

The first two weeks of November provided the highest daily counts of the season, along with some unexpected appearances. With dawn temps hovering just above freezing, most of our local summer breeders and fall migrants have departed, not to be seen again for another 5 months. That being said, the late-season migrants and our local winter birds are arriving in droves.

Red-tailed Hawk © Jonathan Irons
Red-tailed Hawk © Jonathan Irons

One thing that has shifted between the early season, let’s say late September, and now, is the effect weather systems have on daily totals. In early fall, the colder the better with a moderate north wind being the best. However, in the past few weeks, warmer conditions with light winds are proving more productive. Although north winds provide slightly more birds, a south or southwest wind now will still get you loads of birds compared to being a complete bust a few months ago. Also, days with a high, thin overcast are very productive compared to being very slow in September. One reason for this is the species that are moving now. Robins and waxwings seem to prefer the warmest days, which often come on a south wind. Take November 7th, for example, with a dawn temp of 65F, light WSW winds, and partly cloudy. The season’s highest total count for waxwings was noted as 1,284, and over 1,500 robins. Two days later, on the 9th, dawn temp was 39F with no clouds and a stiff north wind. 34 waxwings and 43 robins were counted in the entire morning. I guess they just like flying when it’s warm, and I surely can’t blame them.

American Robins © Jonathan Irons
American Robins © Jonathan Irons

American Robins, Cedar Waxwings, and Eastern Bluebirds make up a large percentage of the total. Over 16,000 robins have been tallied to date, as well as 10,000 waxwings and over 1,000 bluebirds. The migratory patterns of Cedar Waxwings are quite curious. The bar chart created by Trektellen of our daily totals shows a slight peak in mid-August, a peak in late September, and a massive spike in the past two weeks. In between, a remarkable lull is seen throughout October. Waxwings breeding distribution is similarly mysterious, so this may be disjunct populations arriving or passing through at different times. 

Trektellen CEDW Total Number Per Week
Trektellen CEDW Total Number Per Week
Cedar Waxwings © Jonathan Irons
Cedar Waxwings © Jonathan Irons

Epic flocks of Common Grackles swarm the Point every morning and gather high above the bay, weighing their chances of a successful crossing to the mainland. Groups upwards of 15,000 can be seen swirling off to the east and west, and without close examination, can be mistaken for wispy morning clouds. Grackles have jumped to the top spot of most abundant species here at Turkey Point, with over 125,000 tallied for the season. With most of these numbers coming in a wave that lasts only a few minutes every morning, it is extremely difficult to get an accurate idea of how many there are. An exact count is impossible, so a rough estimation is the only option. I would pay a lot of money to get an exact number on some of the flocks, as estimates are wildly inaccurate. We tend to estimate way low, often by as much as 70% on flocks of ~500 birds, and that percentage only increases the larger the flock that is being estimated. It makes me wonder if there is a flock of what I think is about 10,000, is actually well over 30k. We may never know, and this seems like an area that could use some research and technological development. 

A small clip of one of the massive grackle flocks © Jonathan Irons
A small clip of one of the massive grackle flocks © Jonathan Irons

The winter finch irruption continues, and although is slightly below expectations, a few goodies have made their way past the Point. Another Evening Grosbeak was noted on the 4th, as well as a flock of 6 Red Crossbills. Purple Finches, Pine Siskins and American Goldfinches are also still moving through in strong numbers. Non-finch species like White-breasted and Red-breasted Nuthatches, Red-bellied Woodpeckers, and Blue Jays are now pretty much done.

Evening Grosbeak © Jonathan Irons
Evening Grosbeak © Jonathan Irons

Hawks are still on the move with plenty of Red-tailed and Red-shouldered moving through. Accipiters are definitely slowing down, but the season’s third Northern Goshawk was seen on the 2nd. One species that arrived since my last post are Golden Eagles, 3 have passed through since November 1st and will hopefully continue until the end of the month. 

Golden Eagle © Jonathan Irons
Golden Eagle © Jonathan Irons

A few other highlights not listed yet have been seen at the Point. Surf and Black Scoters, which are surprisingly uncommon this far up the bay, have been seen several times. 3 Red-necked Grebes moved past on the 3rd, something that I surely never expected. The migratory behavior of these guys is very mysterious, with most years being very few in the bay, but every now and then there will be loads. Maybe this will be one of those years. 2 Baltimore Orioles have been hanging out in the tangle of kudzu for nearly 10 days, as well as an Orange-crowned Warbler in the same patch as the orioles.  An extremely late Blue Grosbeak that moved past the Point on the 14th rounded out the first half of the month.  

Orange-crowned Warbler © Jonathan Irons
Orange-crowned Warbler © Jonathan Irons

Last year’s count ended on November 15th, so we are officially in uncharted territory and can only guess what the next two weeks will bring. Stay Tuned!

Thanks for reading and happy birding!

Jonathan

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