The first two weeks of September were packed with action here at Turkey Point. Several cold fronts swept down from the northwest and brought plenty of new arrivals, and produced some nice flights of warblers, swallows, and hawks. A few rarities also made appearances here at the Point.

Upon arriving on September 1st, Red-headed Woodpeckers are a daily sight here at Turkey Point. With their distinctive flight style and white secondaries, they are hard to miss and never get old. Since 09/01, 26 have made their way past the Point, and they will continue to be a regular sight until early November. 

Cape May Warblers are making a solid appearance at Turkey Point and are the most abundant warblers, with 673 counted since they arrived on 08/17. Mid-September is their peak, but a few will linger into November. There are several strong cold fronts in the forecast, and I hope to break 300 in a morning.

In the past two weeks, Palm and Blackpoll warblers arrived at the Point in good numbers. These two species are late fall migrants and an excellent indicator that we are past the early fall species like American Redstarts and Yellow Warblers. Some of the other mid-season migrants like Tennessee, Black-throated Blue, and Black-throated Green warblers are showing good numbers, and American Redstarts and Northern Parulas are still going strong.

Purple Martins and Bank Swallows had a few good flights in early September but are long gone from the Point now. Tree, Barn, and Northern Rough-winged will be the expected swallows for the rest of the season. Blue-gray Gnatcatchers are also well past their peak. Several strong flights were noted in the first week of September but only a handful move by the Point anymore. Over 1,800 Gnatcatchers have been counted since 08/01.

Several rarities continue to pop up at Turkey Point. The highlight of the last two weeks was an Adult Brown Booby moving over the bay on 09/15. A flock of 5-10 of these guys often spend the summer in the Chesapeake, but further south and rarely venture north of Kent County. A highly anticipated, adult male Golden-winged Warbler made its way past the Point on 09/09 among a nice flight of American Redstarts and other warblers. Golden-wings nest in far western Maryland and are a scarce migrant anywhere in the state. 

Several strong cold fronts are in the forecast, and with them come new arrivals here to Turkey Point. In the next few weeks, hawks should begin moving past the Point in large numbers as well as Northern Flickers, Blue Jays, and Blackpoll Warblers. Don’t forget to check in on Trektellen every morning for live updates from both of MBP’s morning flight counts.

Thanks for reading and happy birding!

Jonathan