Date: 7/23/25 8:53 am From: Lucy & Bob Email via groups.io <RobertADuncan...> Subject: [ALbirds] When does Fall MIgration really start?
Scott Gravette's ALBirds post of early Cerulean Warblers and tips on August birding for migrants at Monte Sano reminded me of our early coastal migrants.
Those of us on the Gulf coast start seeing clouds of Purple Martins gathering by mid to late July. Flocks of up to 20,000 have been reported 'staging' under the I-10 bridge over Escambia Bay in prior years (ie 2010). Shorebird migration is certainly underway by late June to mid-July.
I was reminded earlier this month, specifically on July 5 when we had a Louisiana Waterthrush at our small pond in the yard, that our friend and fellow Florida birder, the late Noel Wamer, used to say that Fall migration starts on the northern Gulf Coast on the 4th of July with the appearance of LAWAs. Talk about early birds!
By mid- to the end of July we usually are seeing Yellow Warblers move through along with random Prairies and LAWAs (rare thru July). But not this year so far. As Bob and I browse eBird reports from the northern Gulf of Mexico coastal areas, there are few reports of YEWAs so far. That makes us wonder why. Could it be that the heavy rainfalls northeast of here along the Appalachians have dampened the migration, or did the heavy rainfalls wipe out nesting or delay it? Or, have populations dropped severely? Most years we are seeing them here by this time, with a larger number by early August. In fact, 96 YEWAs were recorded here flying west off of our westward pointing peninsula (Gulf Breeze) in an 80-minute count on August 22 one year!
So dust off your bins, hope for cooler weather, and get ready! They're coming! As Bob likes to say, "you don't go, you don't see!" (However for now, I'll watch the pond and favored thickets from my air-conditioned perch in the house or under the porch fan!)
Lucy Duncan
----- Forwarded Message ----- From: Scott Gravette <inadu4...>To: "<albirds...>" <albirds...>Sent: Tuesday, July 22, 2025 at 09:32:23 PM CDTSubject: [ALbirds] Cerulean Warblers at Monte Sano SP in July
Over the years Bob Goss has found good numbers of apparently South-bound migrant Cerulean Warblers at the overlook at Monte Sano State Park at Huntsville in mid to late July. He's reported as many as 10 in a morning. Last year I met him there one July morning and we had 4 or 5 Ceruleans along with good numbers of Black-throated Green Warblers. Bob and I have discussed where the Ceruleans might be coming from. There are small numbers of breeding Ceruleans nearby to MSSP at Chapman Mt. and up in the Paint Rock Valley, but, given the numbers that can be found at MSSP in July, we think it is likely that most of these birds are funneling down the Cumberland Plateau from breeding areas in Tennesse and Kentucky.You tend to think that warbler migration doesn't begin in earnest until mid to late August, but there's a lot of southward movement of several species starting as early as July. With the heat and humidity, it's just not a very comfortable time to be in the woods in July, and on some days you don't see diddly in the way of migrants.If you go to Monte Sano in July, the area around the overlook is best for migrating warblers. Get there around dawn and listen/look for the titmice/chickadee flocks as the warblers will be mixed in. A majority of the Ceruleans will be the female/immature plumage. Scott GravetteHartselle, AL
