Passerines
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TYRANT FLYCATCHERS: Tyrannidae
Olive-sided Flycatcher Contopus cooperi Eastern Wood-Pewee C. virens Acadian Flycatcher Empidonax virescens Yellow-bellied Flycatcher E. flaviventris "Western Flycatcher" E. difficilis complex Alder Flycatcher E. alnorum Willow Flycatcher E. trailli Least Flycatcher E. minimus Eastern Phoebe Sayornis phoebe Say's Phoebe S. saya Ash-throated Flycatcher Myiarchus cinerascens Great Crested Flycatcher M. crinitus Western Kingbird Tyrannus verticalis Eastern Kingbird T. tyrannus Gray Kingbird T. dominicensis Scissor-tailed Flycatcher T. forficatus Fork-tailed Flycatcher T. monachus Vermilion Flycatcher Pyrocephalus rubinus September is not a bad time to find a lot of the species on this list. Granted, many of them are vagrants -- Vermilion, Fork-tailed, Scissor-tailed, Ash-throated, and Western Flycatchers, Say's Phoebe, Gray Kingbird -- and Olive-sided Flycatcher is by no means regularly seen in migration here. But the Empidonax are commonly noted (most records of Willow or Alder are labelled "Traill's", even if the bird calls) in migration in September, especially at KSP in the woods or elsewhere near the tip of the Peninsula. The Pony Trail (now labelled the Nature Trail) at CNWR is also a great place to see them, along with Great Crested and Eastern Wood-Pewee. Western Kingbird is the most likely of the rarer species, followed by Scissor-tailed. Eastern Kingbirds should be fairly common, especially around the tip at morning.
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LARKS: Alaudidae
Horned Lark Eremophila alpestris
Not rare but not found in habitat with many other species -- check farm fields with furrows, some cover, and maybe some recent tilling.
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MARTINS and SWALLOWS: Hirundinidae
Purple Martin Progne subis Tree Swallow Tachycineta bicolor N. Rough-winged Swallow Stelgidopteryx serripennis Bank Swallow Riparia riparia Cliff Swallow Petrochelidon pyrrhonta Barn Swallow Hirundo rustica
Most of these species are findable in a day's birding on the Shore, with some luck, though Cliff Swallow is uncommon. Purple Martins are still hanging around in mid-September, and Tree Swallows have begun to arrive in numbers. The best way to see a variety of swallows is to look them over in the morning (not first light but later, around 8-10 a.m.) at ESVNWR, around the ponds, and to stand vigil at the hawkwatch.
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JAYS, CROWS, MAGPIES: Corvidae
Blue Jay Cyanocitta cristata American Crow Corvus brachyrhynchos Fish Crow C. ossifragus
All three corvids are present in numbers. Fish Crow can be tough to find in some years. Try the seaside roads down to the salt marshes.
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CHICKADEES and TITMICE: Paridae
Black-capped Chickadee Poecile atricapillus Carolina Chickadee P. carolinensis Tufted Titmouse Baelophus bicolor
There is only a single banding record of Black-capped Chickadee from the Shore, but both other species are present in good numbers. Titmouse is less common but usually findable in woods along the seaside (Route 600) or at ESVNWR or KSP in the morning (try behind the camping area).
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NUTHATCHES: Sittidae
Red-breasted Nuthatch Sitta canadensis White-breasted Nuthatch S. carolinensis Brown-headed Nuthatch S. pusilla
Because there is so little in the way of old hardwood stands on the Shore, White-breasted can be downright rare here. Brown-headeds are hanging on, barely, in the pinewoods of KSP north of the main road (try the camping area) and in areas of woods north of here, along Arlington Road. Red-breasteds may frequent these woods or even the large Diodoro (sp.?) cedars planted near the hawkwatch platform, if it's a good migration year. Listen for them here while watching hawks.
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CREEPERS: Certhiidae
Brown Creeper Certhia americana
A very tough bird to find at this season -- not a nester and typically a later migrant. Possible but rare on the Pony Trail, KSP, or woods elsewhere.
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WRENS: Troglodytidae
Carolina Wren Thyrothorus ludovicianus Bewick's Wren T. bewickii House Wren Troglodytes aedon Winter Wren T. troglodytes Rock Wren Salpinctes obsoletus Sedge Wren Cistothorus platensis Marsh Wren C. palustris
Carolina and House Wrens are the likely finds: try the scrubby areas around the ponds at ESVNWR for House. Carolinas will be calling in proper habitat all over the Shore. Marsh Wren is not unlikely at Saxis, but on most September nights, they seem to be silent. Sedge is possible here as well. The CBBT may be your best bet for wrens, though the greatest species diversity (and all of the above wrens have been seen there -- even Rock Wren, one of two VA records) is later in the fall.
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GNATCATCHERS: Sylviidae
Golden-crowned Kinglet Regulus satrapa Ruby-crowned Kinglet R. calendula Blue-gray Gnatcatcher Polioptila caerulea
The gnatcatcher should be an easy find at KSP or ESVNWR in the morning. The kinglets are nearly impossible this early in the fall, but there are a few records of Ruby-crowned from the Pony Trail. Keep an eye, and ear, out.
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THRUSHES: Turdidae
Northern Wheatear Oenanthe oenanthe Eastern Bluebird Sialia sialis Veery Catharus fuscescens Gray-cheeked Thrush C. minimus Bicknell's Thrush C. bicknelli Swainson's Thrush C. ustulatus Hermit Thrush C. guttatus Wood Thrush Hylocichla mustelina American Robin Turdus migratorius
Strangely enough, robins can be scarce in some years. Residential areas seem the best. Bluebirds are numerous on the Shore in rural habitats, all over. Wheatear is a vagrant, with only three records for the Shore (more likely in October than September). The other thrushes are a measure of your stealth and cunning as a birder. Each has a distinctive nocturnal flight-call note, and if you learn these, you can often hear most of the above (Veery, Wood, Swainson's, Gray-cheeked, and the higher-pitched but similar Bicknell's) going over at night, usually after 9:00 pm or before 5:00 am. Hermit Thrush is a later migrant.
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CATBIRDS, MOCKINGBIRDS, THRASHERS: Mimidae
Gray Catbird Dumetella carolinensis Northern Mockingbird Mimus polyglottos Brown Thrasher Toxostoma rufum Sage Thrasher Oreoscoptes montanus
Sage Thrasher is known only from one record (CNWR), but the other three are present in fair numbers in tangles and brambles all over the Shore. Thrasher is the most difficult -- try CNWR on the Pony Trail or KSP.
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PIPITS: Motacillidae
American Pipit Anthus spinoletta Sprague's Pipit A. spragueii
Neither pipit is likely to be recorded; American is an outside possibility.
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WAXWINGS: Bombycillidae
Cedar Waxwing Bombycilla cedrorum
Waxwings are a bit irregular in their comings and goings on the Shore. Look for them around freshwater ponds (flycatching), residential areas (taking berries), or in flight over the tip in the morning. Easy to miss but often near Oyster or at CNWR or near Modest Town.
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SHRIKES: Laniidae
Loggerhead Shrike Lanius ludovicianus Northern Shrike L. excubitor
Neither shrike is likely: Loggerhead is an extirpated nester here, with virtually no recent migration records, and Northern is a vagrant, with only a few winter records.
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STARLINGS: Sturnidae
European Starling Sturnus vulgaris
Plenty.
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VIREOS: Vireonidae
White-eyed Vireo Vireo griseus Blue-headed Vireo V. solitarius Yellow-throated Vireo V. flavifrons Warbling Vireo V. gilvus Philadelphia Vireo V. philadelphicus Red-eyed Vireo V. olivaceus
Between hard birding at KSP and ESNWR in the morning, and a brisk walk around the Pony Trail at CNWR in the afternoon, you should find most of the vireos. Blue-headed and Warbling may be the toughest at this date.
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WOOD WARBLERS: Parulidae
Because of the structure of the Peninsula, warblers and other migrants that reach the tip in the morning often reverse course and fly back northward in great numbers (many thousands), as observed at Higbee Beach, Cape May. One may record thirty species, with some effort, on such a September morning. Because there is really no better strategy than to hope for a "flight day" here (and to clean up losses on the Pony Trail or other woodland area in the afternoon), species below are classed as Likely, Possible, or Very Unlikely, rather than listed in phylogenetic order, as above.
Likely || Possible || Very Unlikely
Likely
WarblersTennessee Warbler V. peregrina Nashville Warbler V. ruficapilla Northern Parula Warbler Parula americana Yellow Warbler Dendroica petechia Chestnut-sided Warbler D. pensylvanica Magnolia Warble D. magnolia Cape May Warbler D. tigrina Black-throated Blue Warbler D. caerulescens Yellow-rumped (Myrtle) Warbler D. c. coronata Black-throated Green Warbler D. virens Blackburnian Warbler D. fusca Yellow-throated Warbler D. dominica Pine Warbler D. pinus Prairie Warbler D. discolor (Western) Palm Warbler D. p. palmarum Bay-breasted Warbler D. castanea Blackpoll Warbler D. striata Black-and-white Warbler Mniotitla varia American Redstart Setophaga ruticilla Ovenbird Seirus aurocapillus
(can be tough to find -- pishing helps)Common Yellowthroat Geothlypis trichas Hooded Warbler Wilsonia citrina Northern Waterthrush Seirus noveboracensis
Possible
WarblersBlue-winged Warbler Vermivora pinus Golden-winged Warbler V. chrysoptera Cerulean Warbler Dendroica cerulea (Yellow) Palm Warbler D. palmarum hypochrysea Prothonotary Warbler Protonotaria citrea Worm-eating Warbler Helmitheros vermivorus Louisiana Waterthrush Seirus motacilla Kentucky Warbler Oporornis formosus Connecticut Warbler O. agilis Mourning Warbler O. philadelphia Wilson's Warbler Wilsonia pusilla Canada Warbler W. canadensis Yellow-breasted Chat Icteria virens
Very Unlikely
WarblersOrange-crowned Warbler Vermivora celata "Brewster's Warbler" V. pinus x chrysoptera "Lawrence's Warber" V. pinus x chrysoptera Swainson's Warbler Limnothlypis swainsonii
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TANAGERS: Thraupidae
Summer Tanager Piranga rubra Scarlet Tanager P. olivacea Western Tanager P. ludoviciana
Western Tanager is a vagrant with only a single Shore record, but the other two are migrants in some numbers, to be looked for at KSP in the morning in particular. Summer is usually less numerous but is usually findable on flight days.
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GROSBEAKS, SPARROWS, FINCHES, BUNTINGS: Fringillidae
Northern Cardinal Cardinalis cardinalis Easily found. Rose-breasted Grosbeak Pheuticus ludovicianus Common KSP migrant, flight days. Black-headed Grosbeak P. melanocephalus vagrant Blue Grosbeak Guiraca caerulea Uncommon, field edges/ESVNWR Indigo Bunting Passerina cyanea Fairly common KSP Painted Bunting P. ciris vagrant Dickcissel Spiza americana Flyover, KSP (listen for call) Eastern Towhee P. erythropthalmus Tough: try Pony Trail American Tree Sparrow Spizella arborea winter only, rare Chipping Sparrow S. passerina usually tough to find Clay-colored Sparrow S. pallida possible, but mostly Oct. Field Sparrow S. pusilla usually a later migrant Vesper Sparrow Pooecetes gramineus usually a later migrant Lark Sparrow Chondestes grammacus regular at CNWR, mid-Sept Savannah Sparrow Passerculus sandwichensis usually a later migrant Ipswich Sparrow P. s. princeps a later migrant Bachman's Sparrow Aimophila aestivalis vagrant at CBBT? or Cassin's? Grasshopper Sparrow Ammodramus savannarum a few locals still at KSP Henslow's Sparrow A. henslowii vagrant Saltmarsh Sharp-tailed Sparrow A. caudacutus a few locals still at Saxis? Nelson's Sharp-tailed Sparrow A. nelsoni usually a later migrant LeConte's Sparrow A. leconteii vagrant -- three records only Seaside Sparrow A. maritimus a few locals still at Saxis? Fox Sparrow Passerella iliaca a later migrant Song Sparrow Melospiza melodia usually tough to find!!!!! Lincoln's Sparrow M. lincolnii a rare later migrant Swamp Sparrow M. georgiana usually a later migrant White-throated Sparrow Zonotrichia albicollis usually a later migrant White-crowned Sparrow Z. leucophrys usually a later migrant Dark-eyed Junco Junco h. hyemalis usually a later migrant Oregon Junco J. h. montanus vagrant -- only 2 records Lapland Longspur Calcarius lapponicus a later migrant Chestnut-collared Longspur C. ornatus vagrant -- one record Snow Bunting Plectrophenax nivalis a later migrant Bobolink Dolichonyx oryzivorus common migrant; listen at night Purple Finch Carpodacus purpureus a later migrant House Finch C. mexicanus rare on the Shore -- locations? Red Crossbill Loxia curvirostra a later migrant; irregular White-winged Crossbill L. leucoptera vagrant Pine Siskin Carduelis pinus a later migrant Common Redpoll C. flammea vagrant American Goldfinch C. tristis usually present in weedy fields Evening Grosbeak Coccothraustes vespertinus irregular later migrant
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BLACKBIRDS, MEADOWLARKS, ORIOLES: Icteridae
Red-winged Blackbird Agelaius phoeniceus common around Oyster, CNWR Eastern Meadowlark Sturnella magna check ag. fields, saltmarshes Rusty Blackbird Euphagus carolinus usually a later migrant Brewer's Blackbird E. cyanocephalus vagrant Yellow-headed Blackbird X. xanthocephalus vagrant but many Sept. records Boat-tailed Grackle Quiscalus major common in saltmarsh habitat Common Grackle Q. quiscula common around residences Brown-headed Cowbir Molothrus ater uncommon around livestock Orchard Oriole Icterus spurius a few at KSP in morning flights Baltimore Oriole I. galbula common at KSP in morning flights
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WEAVER FINCHES: Passeridae
House Sparrow Passer domesticus
Not a common bird on the Shore! Pull in at the crab traps at Oyster, just on your left as you're coming into town. Scan that area for yellowlegs, Spotted Sandpiper, Willet, etc., and the crab trabs for hungry House Sparrows, which eat bits of crab left behind! Dickcissel has been noted here with them.
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From northern Delaware to Cape Hatteras, west to the Piedmont, the following additional species have been seen and may turn up onshore or offshore of the Eastern Shore:Black-browed Albatross, Bermuda Petrel, Fea's Petrel, Bulwer's Petrel, Red-billed Tropicbird, Masked Booby, Roseate Spoonbill, Barnacle Goose, Masked Duck, White-tailed Kite, Honey Buzzard, Prairie Falcon, Ruffed Grouse, Paint-billed Crake, Corn Crake, Limpkin, European Golden-Plover, Spotted Redshank, Black-tailed Godwit, Red-necked Stint, Little Stint, Eurasian Woodcock, Mew Gull, Ross's Gull, Ivory Gull, Whiskered Tern, Brown Noddy, Smooth-billed Ani, Groove-billed Ani, Eurasian Collared-Dove, Antillean Nighthawk, Black-chinned Hummingbird, Lewis's Woodpecker, Western Wood-Pewee, Gray Flycatcher, Hammond's Flycatcher, Tropical Kingbird, Cave Swallow, Black-backed Wagtail, Boreal Chickadee, Mountain Bluebird, Fieldfare, Varied Thrush, Bohemian Waxwing, Bell's Vireo, Black-whiskered Vireo, Bachman's Warbler, Black-throated Gray Warbler, Kirtland's Warbler, Townsend's Warbler, Lazuli Bunting, Spotted Towhee, Green-tailed Towhee, Black-throated Sparrow, Lark Bunting, Baird's Sparrow, Smith's Longspur, Western Meadowlark, Bullock's Oriole, Shiny Cowbird, Pine Grosbeak, Hoary Redpoll. Eight additional forms that have been recorded in this region are: Great White Heron (white morph of Great Blue Heron), Black Brant (Branta bernicla hrota), Common Gull (nominate form of Mew Gull), European Herring Gull (nominate form), Cayenne Tern (Sterna [sandvichensis] eurygnatha), Audubon's Warbler (Dendroica [coronata] auduboni), Pink-sided Junco (Junco hyemalis cismontanus), White-winged Junco (Junco hyemalis aikeni). Probable hybrids observed in this region include: Black-crowned Night-Heron x Tricolored Heron, Snow Goose x Ross's Goose, Greater White-fronted Goose x Canada Goose, Mallard x American Black Duck, Mallard x Northern Pintail, Mallard x Wood Duck, Canvasback x Redhead, Ring-necked Duck x Redhead, Hooded Merganser x Bufflehead, Glaucous Gull x Herring Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull x Herring Gull, Great Black-backed Gull x Herring Gull, Ring-billed x Laughing Gull, Northern Parula Warbler x Yellow-throated Warbler, Northern Waterthrush x Blackpoll Warbler, White-throated Sparrow x Dark-eyed Junco.
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