After coming back from a trip like the one in Colombia it can be hard to get motivated to go birding locally, but I started to catch the bug again as fall migration was heating up in September.
Summer Tanager - Burnt Mill Creek is my go to spot during fall migration. The creek winds just outside of downtown Wilmington and has lots of old trees which attract neotropical migrants looking for some juicy bugs and fruits to fatten up for the long flight south.
Yellow-crowned Night Heron - Airlie is also a good spot.
American Redstart
Black-and-White Warbler
Red-eyed Vireos are the most common migrant in September. They are seemingly everywhere and particularly like the Magnolia berries.
Great Crested Flycatcher
Yellow-crowned Night Heron at Burnt Mill.
Another Yellow-crowned Night Heron on another day.
Baltimore Oriole
Veeries are usually the first thrush to show up at Burnt Mill Creek (BMC).
We have no shortage of Cape May Warblers during migration on the coast.
Worm-eating Warblers are usually more difficult to find during migration.
Common Yellowthroats are a dime a dozen at BMC but not usually adult males.
Northern Parulas are also very common.
Nashville Warblers will sometimes trip the rare flag in eBird but they are becoming easier to find during fall migration at BMC.
Oddly enough Palm Warblers will also trip the rare flag early in September, but they quickly become very common in October.
Green Heron ruling the roost.
Prairie Warbler
White-eyed Vireos abound at BMC in the fall.
Another Nashville
Anhingas are enjoying the mullet which are plentiful in the creek which is surprisingly tidal.
Another "Yellowstart".
Another Veery.
Every year we get some interesting Traill's flycatchers around the pond at BMC. We were not able to get this one to vocalize so it will remain Alder/Willow.
Eastern Wood Pewees are easier to ID based on the long primary extension (wing tips).
Some epmidonax flycatchers are better left unidentified. Maybe an Acadian.
A good candidate for Yellow-bellied Flycatcher but I still left it unidentified.
Chestnut-sided Warbler
Magnolia Warbler
Another Acadian
Red-eyed Vireo
Yellow-crowned Night Heron with a fiddler crab. The main reason they love BMC is that the tidal habitat is home to zillions of fiddlers.
In late September, Jesse A posted that someone had a Hudsonian Godwit at Fort Fisher so I jumped at the chance considering how many times I have missed them in New Hanover County. Luckily it was still there.
Although fall migration is a little anemic in Wilmington, it still beats the summer doldrums.
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