This week six species returned from their northern nesting grounds. Shea Fee, Nancy Weaver and Luanne Johnson observed five American pipits near the Gay Head Cliffs on Oct. 11, and the next day I found three pipits at Thimble Farm.
I also spotted four eastern meadowlarks where the trail from Thimble Farm to the Greenlands crosses the former Chicama Vineyards field.
Waterbirds are also returning. Susan Rogers and Chip Blake spotted one red-throated loon and six red-breaster mergansers from Moshup Beach on Oct. 17. They also found six northern pintails on Black Point Pond on Oct. 15. Susan Whiting and Bob Shriber also saw the pintails later that day. Nancy Weaver reports 12 American wigeon at the pumping station Oct. 13, and the next day Lisa Maxfield counted only two.
Wilson’s phalaropes are an abundant western species but a rare transient here, typically observed between mid-July and September but not seen every year. I carefully identified one at Little Beach on Oct. 14, with its gray and white non-breeding plumage and the thinnest bill of any shorebird.
Here are two unusual sightings of common species. Susan and Jason Balaban report seeing a completely white, black-capped chickadee along South Road in Chilmark on Oct. 12. And John Nelson watched on Oct. 17 as an estimated 1,000 double-crested cormorants departed from Sengekontacket Pond and flew southeast, likely migrating past Chappaquiddick as they rode the strong northwesterly winds.
Margaret Curtin and Nancy Weaver found 300 cormorants in Sengekontacket Pond on Oct. 12, before the mass departure.
After the departures at Little Beach Janet Woodcock noted 200 cormorants on Oct. 15 and Kayla Smith counted 215 of them there the next day, while the largest concentration of cormorants up-Island was reported by Luanne Johnson and Shea Fee, who found 82 at the Gay Head Cliffs on Oct. 11. Pete Gilmore observed 60 from the Gay Head cliffs on Oct. 13.
The first brant (smaller than a Canada goose) was observed by Bob Shriber in Aquinnah on Sept. 30, but they are more reliably found in Ocean Park, where their presence is eagerly anticipated. Margaret Curtin and Nancy Weaver were the first to find them in Ocean Park this fall (a flock of 10 on Oct. 12) and Anne Whiting and I counted 13 brant (along with 165 Canada geese) in Ocean Park on Oct. 13. More will be coming soon.
Flocks of fish crows are another eagerly anticipated arriving winter resident, although scattered pairs nest here. I observed three fish crows at Slough Cove on Oct. 11, and Steve Moore spotted two at Ocean Park on Oct. 15. Cynthia Bloomquist observed the first large flock of 84 at Tisbury Marketplace on Oct. 15, while I had 15 of them at Five Corners on Oct. 17. More are on their way.
Susan Rogers and Chip Blake reported a late barn swallow at Black Point Pond on Oct. 15, quite likely the last of the season. Tree swallows are more numerous: I had five at Katama Farm on Oct. 11, Tim Johnson photographed a flock of more than 50 at Katama on Oct. 13, and on Oct. 15 the quartet of Thaw Malin, Richard Goldenwire, Nancy Weaver, and Gretchen L counted 20 at the Gay Head Cliffs, the same day that Susan Rogers only found one at Moshup Beach.
American oystercatchers are still here but much reduced from their nesting season. They have been found at Lucy Vincent Beach (Chris Schmandt, one, Oct. 12); Aquinnah (Bob Shriber and Pete Gilmore, two, Oct. 13); Norton Point (Janet Woodcock, two, Oct. 15); Little Beach (me, 28, Oct. 14; Janet Woodcock, 11, Oct. 15; Kayla Smith, 22, 11, Oct. 16; and Joan Massey and Nancy Weaver, 22, Oct. 16).
Other shorebird sightings include Chris Schmandt finding one piping plover, east of Lucy Vincent on Oct. 12, and Bob Shriber seeing three white-rumped sandpipers at Tisbury Great Pond Beach on Oct. 12. I saw one golden plover and one spotted sandpiper at Little beach on Oct. 14, and Kayla Smith observed 18 killdeer at Katama Farm on Oct. 17.
Black-bellied plovers, semipalmated plovers, ruddy turnstones, sanderlings, greater yellowlegs, lesser yellowlegs and dunlin were also reported.
Snowy egrets are still lingering. Kristin Wild reports one at Farm Pond on Oct. 11, Bob Shriber spotted three in Aquinnah on Oct. 13, and both Laura Lennihan and Kayla Smith observed one at John Butler’s Mudhole on Oct. 14.
Ray Ewing located an American kestrel at Wasque on Oct. 7 and an immature bald eagle at the Edgartown Great Pond cut on Oct. 13. Kayla Smith reported two merlins at Norton Point on Oct. 15.
Peregrine falcons were seen more frequently. The quartet of Shea Fee, Nancy Weaver, Janet Woodcock and Luanne Johnson spotted one at the Gay Head Cliffs on Oct. 11, and Chip Blake located one at Stonewall Pond on Oct. 15. The quartet of Thaw Malin, Richard Goldenwire, Nancy Weaver and Gretchen L observed one peregrine at the Gay Head Cliffs on Oct. 15. Bob Shriber and Susan Whiting found one at Tisbury Great Pond on Oct. 15, Susan Rogers reported one at Moshup Beach on Oct. 15, Kayla Smith, Chip Blake and Susan Rogers saw one at the Gay Head Cliffs on Oct. 16, and Susan Rogers and Chip Blake watched one at Moshup Beach on Oct. 17.
The highlights of finches this week are chipping sparrow, swamp sparrow and Lincoln’s sparrow. On Oct. 11, I observed eight chipping sparrows at the intersection of Slough Cove and Meetinghouse Roads and one at Katama Farm. On Oct. 12, John Nelson counted 16 in Harthaven, Bob Shriber had one at Black Point Pond, and I saw two at Thimble Farm.
Single swamp sparrows were reported by Pete Gilmore in Aquinnah on Oct. 13 and Susan Rogers at Moshup Beach on Oct. 15. On Oct. 15, single Lincoln’s sparrows were spotted by Susan Rogers and Chip Blake at Black Point Pond and David Zook at the Gay Head Cliffs.
Finally, a few red-winged blackbirds have showed up. John Nelson spotted one in Harthaven on Oct. 12, and Chip Blake and Susan Rogers observed four at the Aquinnah Herring Creek on Oct. 17.
Please email your sightings to birds@vineyardgazette.com.
Robert Culbert is an ecological consultant living in Vineyard Haven.
