Week 7 of the Cape May Songbird Stopover Project brought a surge of migratory activity to the South Cape May Meadows, with a total of 434 birds caught, banded, and released. The first four days of the week saw the highest volume of movement, offering the banding team both busy nets and exciting highlights.
At the start of the week, September 28th, 167 birds were banded in a single day, including the first Warbling Vireo of the season. Vireo activity was strong overall, with 18 Red-eyed Vireos and a Philadelphia Vireo also making appearances that day. Adding to the excitement was the fourth Connecticut Warbler of the season, a rare and sought-after species that continues to be a highlight of the fall.
September 29th kept the momentum going with another influx of migrants, including the first Winter Wren of the season. The team also took advantage of the active day to deploy additional Cellular Tracking Technologies (CTT) satellite tags on Common Yellowthroats, continuing their efforts to better understand migratory stopover behavior.
The string of “firsts” continued into September 30th, with the season’s first Brown Creeper showing up in the nets. By October 2nd, activity began to taper off, but surprises still awaited. A Cooper’s Hawk — the season’s first — found its way into a mist net, as did the first Brown Thrasher of the fall. These less common catches added variety and excitement to an otherwise slowing trend.
The remainder of the week was quieter in terms of volume, but not without importance. The team used the lull to deploy satellite tags on Gray Catbirds, continuing the broader project goal of tracking and understanding migratory movement from the Cape May Peninsula to their wintering grounds.
Week 7 was a perfect blend of busy banding days and high-value research opportunities, marking another successful chapter in the fall migration season.
All bird capture, handling, and banding are authorized under appropriate state and federal permits.
Brown Thrasher photo by Maia Nguyen
Gray Catbird photo by Yotam Lehnardt
Philadelphia Vireo photo by Yotam Lehnardt
Red-eyed Vireo photo by Yotam Lehnardt
