My first week as Counter at Dan’s Rock is in the books! The first couple days of the count were characterized by blue skies and light winds out of the north which was enough to keep a steady number of birds moving along the ridge. Riding on these north winds came an early Purple Finch and a couple of Red-breasted Nuthatches, hopefully, a sign of a big flight of these irruptive species later in the fall. The bulk of the flight thus far has been made up by Cedar Waxwings with 858 being tallied so far. Other species seen moving through in good numbers have included Chimney Swifts, Barn Swallows, and Red-winged Blackbirds.

The migration of warblers is always looked forward to with much anticipation each spring and fall, and they are already on the move in Maryland come mid-August! The most abundant species so far has been Blackburnian (with a total of 33), with a high count of 19 being recorded on the 11th. Ovenbirds, Black-and-white Warblers, American Redstarts, and Black-throated Green Warblers have all hit double digits already this season. In all, fourteen species of warbler have already been recorded at the count this season with the bulk of the numbers still on the way!

Later in the week, the winds shifted to the south and dense fog shrouded the ridge for the last two days which made for some slow days of migration. Birds were still pushing through the adverse conditions with Blue-gray Gnatcatchers, American Goldfinches, and a handful of Monarch butterflies all putting in appearances.

Hopefully, the weather cooperates soon and some good flights of birds follow.

Follow along in real-time using the Dan’s Rock Trektellen page and keep checking the blog for more updates as the season progresses. Better yet, come up to Dan’s Rock and watch the birds migrate by live, the views alone are worth it!

Thanks!

Carl Engstrom