It has been a slow week, with not a lot of migrating birds to report due to the incredibly windy weather. Nocturnal migrating birds elsewhere in New England were moving from the northeast to the southwest, and there is a lot of ocean and very little land to our northeast for the birds to come from. Note also that the birds that are here are harder to find because they stay deep within the vegetation.
Warbler migration in October illustrates the seasonal decline in numbers of warblers, although one species (the yellow-rumped warbler) became more abundant as the season progressed as it is a winter resident. From Sept. 27 to Oct. 3, 150 individuals of 26 species were reported.
American redstarts were most frequently observed with 24 individuals at 10 sites. Yellow-rumped warblers accounted for only seven individuals from three locations. From Oct. 4 to Oct. 10, we found 152 individuals of 17 species, with the most common species being yellow-rumped warblers with 102 individuals from at 20 sites.
There were 170 total individuals of 14 species spotted from Oct 11 to Oct. 17, with 145 individuals from 17 sites. The week of Oct. 18 to Oct. 24 produced only 33 individuals of four species. The most abundant species again was the yellow-rumped warbler with seven sightings totaling 28 individuals.
Here are the sightings for the week of Oct. 18 to Oct. 24: yellow-rumped warblers were observed seven times, from the Gay Head Cliffs (MV Bird Club, eight, Oct. 18 and Bob Shriber, four, Oct. 24), Tashmoo Springs (me, one, Oct. 21), Felix Neck (Alex Riina and Kelsey Harris, seven, Oct. 18), Eel Pond (Luanne Johnson, two, Oct. 18), Wilson’s Landing (me, one, Oct. 21), and Black Point Pond (Bob Shriber, five, Oct. 18, where he also found two orange-crowned warblers that day). Cynthia Bloomquist and Thaw Malin watched two palm warblers at their West Tisbury home on Oct. 18, and Bob Shriber observed one blackpoll warbler in Aquinnah on Oct. 24.
Observations of two newly arrived diving ducks occurred this week. Alex Riina and Kelsey Harris spotted two buffleheads at Felix Neck on Oct. 18, Christopher Birch saw four at Farm Pond on Oct. 25, and Nancy Weaver found six greater scaup at Squibnocket Pond Reservation South on Oct. 19.
Our populations of overwintering waterfowl species are increasing. I counted 70 brant in Ocean Park on Oct. 22, Richard Goldenberg observed on Oct. 19 “crazy numbers of scoters off the coast of Chappaquiddick,” estimated to be at least 1,000. Nancy Weaver watched eight American wigeon at Mud Creek on Oct. 23, and Bob Shriber had three red-breasted mergansers in Aquinnah on Oct. 24.
Also newly arriving is an American bittern observed by Bob Shriber at Black Point Pond on Oct. 18. And Polly Basset has been seeing a female white-winged crossbill at her Ocean Heights feeder in October, a seemingly remarkably early record for this eruptive winter finch that only ventures south when its food (seeds) are scarce in the northern forests of Canada. She photographed the female on Oct. 22 and has occasionally spotted the male.
Shorebird sightings are starting to look very winterish, although Luanne Johnson is the only one to find sanderlings as she spotted 50 sanderlings along with 68 black-bellied plovers, one greater yellowlegs and two dunlins on Norton Point on Oct. 18. That same day Kelsey Harris and Alex Riina found 29 black-bellied plovers, two greater yellowlegs and two dunlins on Norton Point.
Luanne Johnson observed four American oystercatchers, 23 black-bellied plovers and five ruddy turnstones at Eel Pond on Oct. 18. John Nelson watched three American oystercatchers at Eel Pond the next day, and Tracy Winn saw one American oystercatcher east of Lucy Vincent beach on Oct. 22.
I located two black-bellied plovers, six semipalmated plovers and one greater yellowlegs at Wilson’s Landing on Oct. 21, Nancy Weaver counted 24 greater yellowlegs at Mud Creek on Oct. 23, and Bridget Dunnigan and Sea Williams observed one black-bellied plover at the Knapp Preserve on Oct. 24.
Killdeer were reported from three locations on Oct. 18. Luanne Johnson spotted seven at Katama Farm and five others at Ocean Park, while Kelsey Harris and Alex Riina found one at Norton Point.
A couple of less-than-common songbirds were seen this week. On Oct. 18, Luanne Johnson found one warbling vireo at the pumping station and Bob Shriber had one red-breasted nuthatch near Black Point Pond. Nancy Weaver observed another at the Gay Head Cliffs on Oct. 23, as did Nancy Nordin in her West Tisbury yard on Oct. 24. The only ruby-crowned kinglet of the week was seen by Bob Shriber in Aquinnah on Oct. 24.
American pipits were observed five times this week. The MV Bird Club found two at the Aquinnah Circle on Oct. 18, John Nelson located a flock of 16 at Katama Farm on Oct. 19, Bob Shriber had three near Squibnocket Beach on Oct. 21, Nancy Weaver observed six at the Gay Head Cliffs on Oct. 23, and Nancy Nordin counted 44 at Katama Farm on Oct. 24.
Winter resident dark-eyed juncos are becoming more abundant. On Oct. 18, the MV Bird Club spotted two at the Gay Head Cliffs, both Sioux Eagle and Maggie Bresnehan saw one in their respective West Tisbury yards on Oct. 19, and Thaw Malin and Cynthia Bloomquist observed one at their West Tisbury home on both Oct. 19 and Oct. 22.
Please email your sightings to birds@vineyardgazette.com.
Robert Culbert is an ecological consultant living in Vineyard Haven.