David Vanderhoop spotted a brown pelican in West Basin, Aquinnah on Nov. 1. He or she was hanging out with double-crested cormorants on a float in West Basin and flying around Red Beach in Lobsterville.

Brown pelicans have only been seen five other times on the Vineyard and always in the fall. However, as Matt Pelikan pointed out, with climate changes there have been sightings of brown pelicans in New England almost annually. Historically, the first Massachusetts record of brown pelican was one shot in 1867 on Nantucket.

Mild temperatures this fall have confused humans and birds alike. I usually suggest putting up feeders after the first frost if you are a seasonal provider, yet I have put mine up already. There are some rules that should be reviewed every fall, or year-round if that is your method of providing for your feathered friends, about how to keep the birds that come to your feeders and birdbaths healthy.

It is all Bob Shriber’s fault and boy, am I glad! Bob lives in Aquinnah and is usually the first of the Vineyard birders to “hit the Head” (arrive at the Gay Head Cliffs) to look for migrating birds in the fall. Tuesday, Oct. 23, Bob called me at around 9 a.m. and he was talking a mile a minute.

“I just saw a black-throated gray warbler and now I have lost it.”

First and foremost I would like to thank all my friends and family for making my 70th birthday an occasion that I will never forget. The food that people brought; the pig, chickens and ribs cousin Everett smoked; the Strugglers and the Chickie Babies that played for us to sing with and dance to, all added up to a memorable affair. Again, many thanks!

Bird watchers or birders the world over have always wanted to look for and at birds in Colombia. Why, because the country has the most diverse habitats, for its size, than any other South American country.

There has been so much bird activity I will write about our trip to Colombia next week!