Pot o’ Gold on the Ridgetops

Bathed in glowing sunshine, a very large fallout of migrating Neotropical songbirds enlivened the forest edge atop Second Mountain in northern Lebanon County, Pennsylvania, this morning.  While last night’s flight was widespread beneath a dome of atmospheric high pressure covering the Mid-Atlantic States, this is a look at some of the 500 -1,000 migrants observed feeding on insects and other natural foods at just this single location.

Blackpoll and Black-throated Green Warblers
As the composition of the nightly flights begins to transition to species that start their migration later in the season, numbers of birds like the Blackpoll Warbler (top) are beginning to rival those of the heretofore very common Black-throated Green Warbler (bottom).
Blackpoll Warbler
A Blackpoll Warbler.
Bay-breasted Warbler
The Bay-breasted Warbler, another common species found among the fallout flock.
Tennessee Warbler
The Tennessee Warbler was today’s most abundant migrant with at least 200 birds seen moving among the other species.
Tennessee Warbler
A newly arrived Tennessee Warbler at sunrise.
Tennessee Warbler
A Tennessee Warbler snatches breakfast.
Magnolia Warbler
The Magnolia Warbler was another common find among today’s migrants.
Magnolia Warbler
A Magnolia Warbler.
Nashville Warbler
A Nashville Warbler among tangles of Mile-a-minute Weed.
Nashville Warbler
A Nashville Warbler.
Black-throated Blue Warbler
Black-throated Blue Warbler.
Adult Male Black-throated Blue Warbler
An adult male Black-throated Blue Warbler.
Northern Parula
An acrobatic Northern Parula.
Blackburnian Warbler
Blackburnian Warblers continue their southerly trek.
American Redstart
An American Redstart.
 Chestnut-sided Warbler
A Chestnut-sided Warbler feeding on Mile-a-minute Weed berries.
 Cape May Warbler
A Cape May Warbler.
Adult Male Cape May Warbler
A handsome adult male Cape May Warbler.
Swainson's Thrush
A Swainson’s Thrush.
Scarlet Tanager
Scarlet Tanagers continue to work their way south through the Lower Susquehanna River Watershed.
Olive-sided Flycatcher
A composite image of an uncommon find, a large-headed Olive-sided Flycatcher seen perched atop a dead tree snag.
Philadelphia Vireo
A brief encounter with a Philadelphia Vireo, another uncommon species.
Blue-headed Vireo
A Blue-headed Vireo, typically the last of its genus to move south in the fall, put in a welcome appearance among the hundreds of migrants.
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
A favorite diurnal migrant, the Ruby-throated Hummingbird, was seen feeding on flowers that grew from the remains of garden waste dumped illegally along the mountain road last autumn.

Many of the observers at the Second Mountain Hawk Watch commented that this morning’s fallout was by far the best they had seen anywhere in the region during recent years.  Others believed it to be the best they had ever seen.  It was indeed less like a “wave” of migrants and more like a “tsunami”.  Choosing a good viewing location and being there at the right time can improve your chances of seeing a spectacle like this.  The good news is, it looks like another big flight is currently underway, so finding a forest edge on a ridgetop or along a utility right-of-way just might pay off for you early tomorrow morning.

Nocturnal migrating birds, a southwest-bound flight down the ridges of central Pennsylvania as indicated by Doppler radar between 10:30 and 11:30 PM EDT on September 11, 2024.  (NOAA/National Weather Service image)

This Week’s Review of the Morning Fallouts

Clear, cool nights have provided ideal flight conditions for nocturnal Neotropical migrants and other southbound birds throughout the week.  Fix yourself a drink and a little snack, then sit down and enjoy this set of photographs that includes just some of the species we found during sunrise feeding frenzies atop several of the Lower Susquehanna River Watershed’s ridges.  Hurry up, because here they come…

Black-throated Green Warbler
A Black-throated Green Warbler.
Black-throated Green Warbler
The Black-throated Green Warbler was perhaps the most frequently identified treetop warbler during the most recent four mornings.
Black-throated Green Warbler
A Black-throated Green Warbler with a unique variation in the crown plumage.
Blackburnian Warbler
The Blackburnian Warbler was another plentiful species.
Cape May Warblers
Cape May Warblers have an affinity for conifers like this Eastern White Pine.
Cape May Warbler
But when traveling in mixed flocks with other migrants, Cape May Warblers can also be found feeding in the crown foliage of deciduous trees.
Tennessee Warbler
This adult Tennessee Warbler appears to be adorned in a very worn set of plumage…
Tennessee Warbler
…and its traveling companion looks like it’s overdue for a new set of feathers as well.
Nashville Warbler
Like the Tennessee Warbler, the Nashville Warbler was common among mixed flocks.
Nashville Warbler
A Nashville Warbler atop a Black Cherry.
Chestnut-sided Warbler
This Chestnut-sided Warbler was one of several found among the more common species of migrants.
Chestnut-sided Warbler
A Chestnut-sided Warbler.
Chestnut-sided Warbler
We were lucky enough to spot this male Chestnut-sided Warbler sporting his namesake flank feathers.
 Black-and-white Warbler
A Black-and-white Warbler uses its nuthatch-like feeding behavior to search the tree bark for edible invertebrates.
Common Yellowthroat
To see the Common Yellowthroat, one must cease looking upward into the high canopy and instead give the aching neck a rest by peering into the low vegetation at the forest edge.
Magnolia Warbler
While checking the low growth, keep an eye open for other migrants among the shrubs and tangles. This Magnolia Warbler glows in the rays of a rising sun as it searches for a meal after a long night of travel.
House Wren
Here we found a perky little House Wren.
Eastern Wood-Pewee
Back in the middle and upper reaches of the trees, we find what has been by far the most numerous of the flycatchers seen during our visits to fallout sunrises.  Eastern Wood-Pewees are appearing in very good numbers and can be seen quarreling and battling for hunting perches from which they are ambushing flying insects.
 Eastern Wood-Pewee
An Eastern Wood-Pewee fiercely defending its hunting perch.
Eastern Wood-Pewee
An Eastern Wood-Pewee.
Least Flycatcher
The numbers of migrating Least Flycatchers and other members of the genus Empidonax may be reaching their seasonal peak this week.
Scarlet Tanagers
Scarlet Tanagers are currently a common find following nocturnal flights.
Scarlet Tanager
A Scarlet Tanager peers down from the top of a Red Maple.
Rose-breasted Grosbeak
Did you hear a loud squeak in the treetops?  It could be a southbound Rose-breasted Grosbeak stopping by for the day.
Rose-breasted Grosbeak
A Rose-breasted Grosbeak in a dead tree snag.
Swainson's Thrush
The Neotropical thrushes are beginning to move south now as well.  We found this newly arrived Swainson’s Thrush at Rocky Ridge County Park in York County during sunrise this morning.
Red-eyed Vireo
Not surprisingly, the Red-eyed Vireo is one of the most numerous of the migrants seen feeding in the deciduous canopy following a nocturnal flight event.  It’s not at all unusual to see dozens filing the trees around a ridgetop overlook or along a forest edge.  Be certain to check these congregations carefully, especially the groups of birds feeding in the lower branches of tall timber or in the tops of smaller trees.  This week we found…
Yellow-throated Vireo
…several hungry Yellow-throated Vireos arriving after nocturnal flights,…
Philadelphia Vireo
…and a Philadelphia Vireo (Vireo philadelphicus) at the hawkwatch at Rocky Ridge County Park in York County.
Red-breasted Nuthatch
Though not a Neotropical migrant, the easier-heard-than-seen Red-breasted Nuthatch is beginning to wander south into the lower Susquehanna region.  Most of these birds will eventually continue on to the pine forests of the southern United States for winter, but a few could remain to become seasonal visitors at feeding stations.
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Ruby-throated Hummingbirds are on the move; their migration to the tropics is well underway and nearing its peak.  Ruby-throats are diurnal migrants that do a majority of their flying during the hours of daylight.  The notable exception: the nighttime portion of the long southbound flight some of the birds make to cross the Gulf of Mexico.
Red-headed Woodpecker
The Red-headed Woodpecker is another diurnal migrant.   This denizen of temperate climates is currently beginning to move to its wintering grounds, an area that extends from the latitudes of the lower Susquehanna south to the Gulf of Mexico and central Texas.
Juvenile Red-headed Woodpecker
A juvenile Red-headed Woodpecker during a brief pit stop.
Cedar Waxwings
The flights of roving bands of masked Cedar Waxwings continue.  Their numbers appear to be an improvement over those of 2023.
Broad-winged Hawk
At regional hawk-counting stations, observers are seeing more Broad-winged Hawks and other species beginning to move through.
"Kettling" Broad-winged Hawks
The frequency of Broad-winged Hawks passing the lookouts one at a time is giving way to the occurrence of larger and larger “kettling” groups that search out thermal updrafts to save energy while migrating.  By mid-September each of these “kettles” can include one hundred birds or more.  On the peak days, the daily Broad-winged Hawk totals can reach one thousand or more.
Broad-winged Hawk
A Broad-winged Hawk soaring to gain lift from a thermal updraft above a hawkwatch lookout.

The migration is by no means over; it has only just begun.  So plan to visit a local hawkwatch or other suitable ridgetop in coming weeks.  Arrive early (between 7 and 8 AM) to catch a glimpse of a nocturnal migrant fallout, then stay through the day to see the hundreds, maybe even thousands, of Broad-winged Hawks and other diurnal raptors that will pass by.  It’s an experience you won’t forget.

Broad-winged Hawk Gliding Away to the Southwest
A Broad-winged Hawk gliding away to the southwest.

Be certain to click the “Birds” tab at the top of this page for a photo guide to the species you’re likely to see passing south through the lower Susquehanna valley in coming months.  And don’t forget to click the “Hawkwatcher’s Helper: Identifying Bald Eagles and other Diurnal Raptors” tab to find a hawk-counting station near you.

More birds are on the way.  Here’s a look at this evening’s liftoff of nocturnal migrants detected by National Weather Service Radar in State College, Pennsylvania.  (NOAA/National Weather Service Doppler Radar image)

A Pre-dawn Thunderstorm and a Fallout of Migrating Birds

In recent days, the peak northbound push of migratory birds that includes the majority of our colorful Neotropical species has been slowed to a trickle by the presence of rain, fog, and low overcast throughout the Mid-Atlantic States.  Following sunset last evening, the nocturnal flight resumed—only to be grounded this morning during the pre-dawn hours by the west-to-east passage of a fast-moving line of strong thundershowers.  The NOAA/National Weather Service images that follow show the thunderstorms as well as returns created by thousands of migrating birds as they pass through the Doppler Radar coverage areas that surround the lower Susquehanna valley.

Sterling, Virginia, Doppler Radar west of Washington, D.C., at 4:00 A.M. E.D.T. indicates a dense flight of northbound migrating birds located just to the south of the approaching line of rain and thunderstorms over the State College, Pennsylvania, radar coverage area.  (NOAA/National Weather Service image)
More northbound birds are indicated at 4 A.M. by the radar station located at Dover, Delaware…  (NOAA/National Weather Service image)
…and by the Mount Holly, New Jersey, radar site.  (NOAA/National Weather Service image)
Many of the migrating birds shown here over the Binghamton, New York, radar station at 4 A.M. probably overflew the lower Susquehanna region earlier in the night.  (NOAA/National Weather Service image)
And these birds over Albany, New York’s, radar station at 4 A.M. are mostly migrants that passed north over New Jersey and easternmost Pennsylvania last evening and during the wee hours of this morning.  (NOAA/National Weather Service image)

Just after 4 A.M., flashes of lightning in rapid succession repeatedly illuminated the sky over susquehannawildlife.net headquarters.  Despite the rumbles of thunder and the din of noises typical for our urban setting, the call notes of nocturnal migrants could be heard as these birds descended in search of a suitable place to make landfall and seek shelter from the storm.  At least one Wood Thrush and a Swainson’s Thrush (Catharus ustulatus) were in the mix of species passing overhead.  A short time later at daybreak, a Great Crested Flycatcher was heard calling from a stand of nearby trees and a White-crowned Sparrow was seen in the garden searching for food.  None of these aforementioned birds is regular here at our little oasis, so it appears that a significant and abrupt fallout has occurred.

White-crowned Sparrow
A White-crowned Sparrow in the headquarters garden at daybreak.  It’s the first visit by this species in a decade or more.

Looks like a good day to take the camera for a walk.  Away we go!

Gray Catbird
Along woodland edges, in thickets, and in gardens, Gray Catbirds were everywhere today.  We heard and/or saw hundreds of them.
American Redstart
During our travels, American Redstarts were the most frequently encountered warbler.  Look for them in low-lying forested habitats.
Many early-arriving Baltimore Orioles have already begun building nests.  But widespread territorial fighting today may be an indication that some latecomer orioles became trespassers after dropping in on existing territories during the morning fallout.
Red-eyed Vireo
Red-eyed Vireos are difficult to see but easily heard in forested areas throughout the Lower Susquehanna River Watershed.
Scarlet Tanager
If the oriole isn’t the showiest of the Neotropical migrants, then the Scarlet Tanager is certainly a contender…
Scarlet Tanager
Listen for their burry, robin-like song in the treetops of mature upland forests.
Wood Thrush
No woodland chorus is complete without the flute-like harmony of the Wood Thrush.  Look and listen for them in rich forests with dense understory vegetation.
Eastern Wood-Pewee
The Eastern Wood-Pewee, another forest denizen, has an easy song to learn…a series of ascending “pee-a-wee” phrases interspersed with an occasional descending “pee-urr”.  It was one of the few flycatchers we found today, but more are certainly on the way.  Their numbers should peak in coming days.
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Yellow-rumped Warblers can be especially numerous during migration but tend to peak prior to the arrival of the bulk of the Neotropical species.  This was the only “yellow-rump” we encountered today.  The majority have already passed through on their way to breeding grounds to our north.
Common Yellowthroat
If today you were to visit a streamside thicket or any type of early successional habitat, you would probably find this perky little warbler there, the Common Yellowthroat.
Yellow Warbler
The Yellow Warbler likes streamside thickets too.  You can also find them along lakes, ponds, and wetlands, especially among shrubby willows and alders.
White-crowned Sparrow
While nowhere near the headquarters garden, we ran into another White-crowned Sparrow in less-than-ideal habitat.  This one was in a row of trees in a paved parking lot.
Bobolink
Not all songbirds migrate at night. The Bobolink is an example of a diurnal (day-flying) migrant.  They’re currently arriving in hay fields that are spared the mower until after nesting season.
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
While looking for Neotropical species and other late-season migrants, we also found numerous early arrivals that had already begun their breeding cycles.  We discovered this Blue-gray Gnatcatcher on its nest in a Black Walnut tree…
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
…then, later in the day, we found this one in its nest, again in a Black Walnut tree.  Note the freshly emerging set of leaves and flower clusters.  With many tree species already adorned in a full set of foliage, open canopies in stands of walnuts we found growing in reforested areas seemed to be good places to see lots of migrants and other birds today.  It’s hard to say whether birds were more numerous in these sections of woods or were just easier to observe among the sparse leaf cover.  In either case, the nut-burying squirrels that planted these groves did us and the birds a favor.

There’s obviously more spring migration to come, so do make an effort to visit an array of habitats during the coming weeks to see and hear the wide variety of birds, including the spectacular Neotropical species, that visit the Lower Susquehanna River Watershed each May.  You won’t regret it!

Wood Ducks
Wood Ducks arrived in February and March to breed in the lower Susquehanna valley.  Soon after hatching in April or May, the young leave the nest cavity to travel under the watchful gaze of their ever-vigilant mother as they search for food along our local waterways.  If you’re fortunate, you might catch a glimpse of a brood and hen while you’re out looking at the more than one hundred species of birds that occur in our region during the first half of May.  Good luck!