There are a few species that may visit sometime this winter.
There are a few species that may visit sometime this winter. They include Barrow’s goldeneye, Eurasian wigeon, Iceland gull, glaucous gull, saw-whet owl, western kingbird, redpoll (common and hoary redpolls are now combined into one species), and red crossbill.
Black Crowned Night Heron
Black Crowned Night Heron
I was going to include snowy owl but Rachel Self beat me to it, as she found a snowy on Arruda’s Point on the eastern beaches of Chappaquiddick on Nov. 24. There are also scattered reports from northeastern Massachusetts, Long Island and Philadelphia, so hopefully we will see more of them.
Sue Pagliccia spotted one evening grosbeak (either a female or an immature) in Oak Bluffs on Nov. 28. This is already the second one of the fall. They consume large quantities of sunflower seeds, but it is always fun to watch them.
There are now three western cattle-egrets lingering at Slough Farm in Katama. John Nelson counted two on Nov. 28, and Warren Woessner observed three on Nov. 30. Maybe the single individual that had been in Chilmark moved eastward to Edgartown?
Coopers Hawk
Coopers Hawk
Waterfowl are becoming more common, but they are still far from their wintertime abundances. An amazing report comes from Bob Shriber and Susan Whiting, who found 13 species: three Canada geese, five mute swans, four mallard, four black ducks, 58 greater scaup, five lesser scaup, one harlequin, 15 surf and 30 black scoters, 45 bufflehead, 50 hooded mergansers, 150 red-breasted mergansers and 75 ruddy ducks on Squibnocket Pond on Nov. 23.
A few of the other sightings include Luanne Johnson finding 18 common eiders, four surf and nine white-winged scoters, and two long-tailed ducks in Vineyard Haven Harbor on Nov. 26. Terry Banks reports one long-tailed duck “popping in and out of the waves,” from South Beach State Park on Nov. 29. I observed one wood duck, one American wigeon, 83 mallard, two black ducks, two bufflehead and 11 hooded mergansers at Sheriff’s Meadow Sanctuary on Nov. 30.
Two species that have four words in their name were seen this week: lesser black-backed gull and black-crowned night-heron. Ken Magnuson had one adult lesser at the Edgartown Golf Club on Nov. 24, although I am sure there are other lessers somewhere along our south shore. And I had five black-crowneds at Sheriff’s Meadow Sanctuary on Nov. 30.
Golden Crowned Kinglet
Golden Crowned Kinglet
Other species of gulls seen include ring-billed, herring and great black-backed gulls. they are common just about everywhere along our shoreline. Bonaparte’s gulls are less common. I had three Bonaparte’s in Vineyard Haven’s Outer Harbor on Nov. 24, Terry Banks located four from Menemsha Beach on Nov. 26, and John Nelson observed 12 at the big bridge Nov. 28. The only sighting of a laughing gull was made by Nancy Weaver, who found two in Vineyard Haven Harbor on Nov. 25.
The great blue heron is the only other heron found this week. On Nov. 23, Matt Pelikan spotted one at Eel Pond, Bob Shriber saw one at Squibnocket Pond, then Janet Woodstock and Nancy Weaver located one from Squibnocket Beach on Nov. 24.
Other waterbirds of interest were also seen. Shea Fee and Luanne Johnson observed one American coot on Crackatuxet Cove and a horned grebe from South Beach State Park, both on Nov. 23. Jamie Lovette found two horned and one red-necked grebe from Squibnocket Beach on Nov. 28.
Hooded Mergansers
Hooded Mergansers
Cooper’s hawks are more abundant than the very similar sharp-shinned hawks. There are four sightings of a Cooper’s. The trio of Janet Woodcock, Shea Fee and Luanne Johnson saw one at Crackatuxet Cove on Nov. 23, Tim Johnson located one at nearby Katama Farm on Nov. 25, Henry Tynes found one at Nashaquitsa Pond on Nov. 28, and Thaw Malin and Cynthia Bloomquist observed one at their West Tisbury home on Nov. 30.
The only sharpie sighting was made by Nancy Weaver and Janet Woodcock, at Squibnocket Pond on Nov. 27.
Amongst the falcons, both the merlin and the American kestrel have been seen this week. On Nov. 23, Avery Dewing observed a merlin at Wasque. Matt Pelikan and the quartet of Nancy Weaver, Janet Woodcock, Luanne Johnson and Shea Fee each spotted one merlin at Katama Farm, while Jeff Bernier found it at Katama Farm on Nov. 24. Warren Woessner and Matt Pelikan located the kestrel at Katama Farm on Nov. 23, while Tim Johnson observed it on both Nov. 24 and Nov. 25. Nancy Weaver saw an adult bald eagle flying over Lagoon Pond on Nov. 30.
Horned Grebe
Horned Grebe
Bob Shriber spotted perhaps the last blue-headed vireo of the season in Aquinnah on Nov. 14.
Kinglets are also in the news. There are multiple reports of both species. Allan Keith spotted a ruby-crowned kinglet at the Gay Head Cliffs on Nov. 7. On Nov. 23, Bob Shriber found one in Aquinnah and another at Squibnocket Pond. Chris Scott observed one golden-crowned kinglet at Quansoo Farm on Nov. 15, while Matt Pelikan located one at the Right Fork on Nov. 23. Cynthia Bloomquist and Thaw Malin found one at their home on Nov. 24.
Some eastern towhees will linger through the winter. On Nov. 23, Bob Shriber found two in Aquinnah and one at Squibnocket Pond, while I heard and then observed one at Sheriff’s Meadow Sanctuary on Nov. 30.
Lesser Black Backed Gull
Lesser Black Backed Gull
Wayne Smith responded to my question in last week’s column about scarcity of birds at feeders. For two weeks the bird activity was very slow at his feeders, but on Nov. 29 that ended dramatically with the arrival of his usual black-capped chickadees, tufted titmice, dark-eyed juncos and northern cardinals. He also notes that house finches are plentiful, and both a red bellied woodpecker and a lone common grackle showed up.
Please email your sightings to [email protected].
Robert Culbert is an ecological consultant living in Vineyard Haven.
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