Land-based Birds Off Carolina Coast 
117 
records of several families of common East Coast migrants (e.g., 
thrushes and vireos) should be noted. Most of the birds seen were fall 
migrants (90%), and more than 60% of all activity was recorded in 
September and October. Only 1 1 species were recorded during the 
spring migration period. Figure 1 illustrates the documented monthly 
occurrence of land-based birds off the Carolinas. 
Land-based migrants off the Carolina coast in August and early 
September are predominantly non-passerine species, primarily shorebirds. 
These non-passerine species dominate August migrants by 2: 1 over 
passerine species. Passerine species become more numerous during 
September. Most of these early records were of neotropical migrants 
(Fig. 2). Furthermore, the 20 passerine species identified over the ocean 
between 10 August and 10 September were largely different in geographic 
origin from the 17 species seen between 6 October and 4 November. 
Among the early passerine migrants were four parulids (Prairie, Protho- 
notary, and Kentucky Warblers and Yellow-breasted Chat) that originate 
from breeding grounds restricted primarily to southeastern North 
America (i.e., the United States east of the Mississippi River). Their 
median breeding range is about 34° N. These species, which apparently 
fly from the northern part of their range southward over the Atlantic 
Ocean, have been recorded as regular, though numerically few, migrants 
to Bermuda (Drury and Keith 1962). Other early passerine migrants 
that have a similar breeding range are the Acadian Flycatcher and the 
Orchard Oriole. In addition, some of the other early-migrant parulids 
(i.e.. Black-throated Blue, Black-throated Green, and Mourning War- 
blers) are birds that occupy intermediate-latitude breeding ranges, and 
individuals encountered in all likelihood originated from northern and 
central Atlantic States. 
These early-season species contrast with late-season parulid migrants 
(i.e., Yellow-rumped, Bay-breasted, and Blackpoll Warblers) from 
northeastern North America, which occur as late as 15 October or later 
(Fig. 2). Each of these species comes from intermediate- to northern- 
latitude breeding grounds (median breeding range ca. 49°N). Also 
among the late-season encounters are short-distance migrants: Brown 
Creeper, House Wren, Gray Catbird, Golden-crowned and Ruby- 
crowned Kinglets, and Chipping, Field, Song, and White-throated 
Sparrows. Only three species were recorded during both periods: 
American Redstart and Common Yellowthroat, which have broad- 
latitude breeding ranges, and the Cape May Warbler, which breeds at 
the intermediate latitudes. Dates of encounters reported here are general- 
ly within the periods reported for the respective species by Sykes (1986) 
in his study of autumn land-bird migration along the Outer Banks of 
North Carolina. 
Many of the birds encountered, particularly small passerines, were 
often near the point of exhaustion, and it was not uncommon to have 
