Harry Beach and Karen Merlino report that: “It is with great sorrow, and profound sadness that we regret to inform you that the toughest little bird we’ve ever seen has not been observed at the feeders since yesterday (Weds. Jan. 28) at 5:15 p.m. We fear the worst, and are heartbroken that after all our efforts, Mother Nature was just too cruel for this miracle of a bird. It has been a week of below freezing temperatures, most nights in the teens and single digits, a foot of snow, sleet and freezing rain. The last few nights have been brutally cold and windy, with wind chills well below zero and daytime temperatures in the teens and low 20s. I observed her lingering at the heated feeder longer and later than usual last night, and when she flew to her roost at 5:15 was the last we saw of her. R.I.P. Rufina.”
Rufina’s arrival and eventual passing documents a pattern for winter hummingbird survival. The above description of recent weather sounds much like the weather that killed the Allen’s hummingbird that Penny Uhlendorf and Scott Stephens cared for 13 years ago. Another similarity between the two unusual hummingbird sightings: the Allen’s was seen daily from Nov. 29, 2012 to Jan. 24, 2013, while the rufous was present from Nov. 23, 2025 to Jan. 28, 2026.
Every winter the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology conducts a feeder watch study (it is not too late to join this year’s study). They just published last winter’s results. There were 34,711 participants, 245,126 checklists submitted, over 357,000-plus hours of observations and 473 species observed.
Here in the northeast there were 10,268 feeders studied and only five species recorded changes in abundance: mourning doves and American goldfinches declined 5 to 10 per cent from average of previous 10 years, and Carolina wrens, chipping sparrows and northern flickers increased by 5 to 10 per cent from average of previous 10 years. No species changed by more than 10 per cent.
We have had a long stretch of consistently cold weather, which impacts winter survival as illustrated by Rufina’s passing. But what about other species?
Before last week’s snowstorm that dumped a foot of snow on us, 100 or more brant grazed the grass in Ocean Park daily. My only sighting of them there since the snow was of only 21 of them, on Feb. 2, since the snow. Where have the others gone? Nancy Weaver found nine near Crystal Lake on Jan. 26, Dana Gaines found five at Fuller street beach on Jan. 28, and I counted 22 near the drawbridge on Jan. 30.
Fresh water ponds are solidly frozen now. Even the saltwater in Sengekontacket Pond is mostly frozen, with open water only from the Big Bridge to Major’s Cove. There were 11 sightings of great blue herons in January, but no reports since the snowstorm. American wigeon and ring-necked ducks usually hang out at Mud Creek, Tashmoo Springs, and/or Crystal Lake every winter. The only sighting since the freeze-up is from Stephanie Mashek, who found two wigeon at Crystal Lake on Feb. 1. Have the others departed for warmer climes and open water?
Saltwater species have it easier because our surrounding waters are not frozen. Eiders, all three scoters, red-breasted mergansers, bufflehead, loons and horned grebes are still present. I found the male Barrow’s goldeneye in its usual area outside the drawbridge on Jan. 30, as did Sophia-Millicent Piece-Cabral on Feb. 1.
Landbirds can also have problems with snow and cold temperatures. Barn owls are mouse specialists, but now the ground-level mice are protected as the owls have a hard time diving through one foot of crusty snow to catch the mice. Every prolonged deep snow causes some barn owl mortality.
Eastern meadowlarks are ground-loving birds, but the snow can force them to unusual locations. On Jan. 28, Albert Fischer spotted a meadowlark only 10 feet away from him, in the paved parking lot next to Alley’s General Store — not the typical meadowlark habitat! Robins are other ground-loving species may also move to roadsides where there is bare ground due to the salt and sand spread on the roads.
Some birds tend to stay at feeders, especially with snow covering the ground. Catherine Deese reports that her lingering Baltimore oriole loves jelly and has found the suet as of Jan. 28. Cynthia Bloomquist and Thaw Malin spotted one lingering purple finch, a remarkable 29 American goldfinches and 32 dark-eyed juncos and three eastern towhees at their West Tisbury feeders on Jan. 26. Nancy Nordin spotted two brown-headed cowbirds and a purple finch visiting her West Tisbury feeders on Jan. 27.
On Jan. 29, Bob Shriber saw a fox sparrow, 19 white-throated sparrows and five towhees along Old South Road, and Janet Woodcock and Nancy Weaver found one fox sparrow at Angevin’s Lane in Edgartown.
Lingering pine warblers continue to be seen at bird feeders. On Jan. 26, Cynthia Bloomquist observed two and Janet Woodcock found one. Nancy Nordin saw three on Jan. 27, and Penny Uhlendorf has a male visiting daily.
There are two continuing orange crowned warblers at feeders. Nancy Nordin watched one on Jan. 27, and Lisa Maxfield spotted one on Jan. 28.
Other sightings of interest include a ring-necked pheasant seen by Gino Chick in Katama on Jan. 27, the same day that Luanne Johnson saw three fish crows at the Vineyard Haven ferry dock and Nancy Nordin watched a winter wren in her yard. On Jan. 28, I spotted four fish crows at the big bridge, Bob Shriber located a brown thrasher near Menemsha Hills and Albert Fischer observed a pair of ravens at West Basin. Anne Culbert located a house wren along the Lagoon Pond shoreline near the shellfish hatchery on Jan. 29.
Please email your sightings to birds@vineyardgazette.com.
Robert Culbert is an ecological consultant living in Vineyard Haven.
This article appears in February 6, 2026.