Scott Stephens saw either a rufous or an Allen’s hummingbird at his Vineyard Haven yard on Oct. 28 as it fed at his pineapple sage. Although they are hard to identify, he says it was “definitely not a ruby-throated!” Please keep your eyes out for any hummers, as this is the season for western strays, and photograph it if possible to help with identification.
A couple more species have returned for the season. Bob Shriber spotted 21 harlequin ducks at Squibnocket Beach on Oct. 29, and Nancy Weaver found 26 harlequins there the next day.
John Nelson observed a female redhead at the Katama boat ramp on Oct. 30, along with 14 red-breasted mergansers (the highest count so far this season). Bob Shriber found one winter wren along Meeting House Road on Oct. 26.
Other notable waterfowl sightings include Nancy Weaver finding two hooded mergansers at Cove Meadow Preserve on Oct. 25. I found one ruddy duck on Lilly Pond at Squibnocket Pond Reservation South on Oct. 29, and Nancy Weaver observed it there the next day. Nancy Nordin and Susan Whiting had a high count of 44 bufflehead from Tisbury Marketplace on Oct. 29, and Olsen Houghton located a wood duck, one hooded merganser and an American wigeon at Mink Meadows Pond on Oct. 31.
Nancy Weaver spotted maybe the last three lingering American golden plovers within a flock of 70 black-bellied plovers, as well as three American oystercatchers, six semipalmated plovers, 12 greater yellowlegs, four ruddy turnstones and 40 sanderlings at Cove Meadow Preserve on Oct. 25.
Nancy Nordin and Susan Whiting observed 28 black-bellied plovers, four greater yellowlegs and 30 sanderling at Tisbury Great Pond on Oct. 25.
Bob Shriber and Nancy Weaver watched 10 killdeer at Thimble Farm on Oct. 26, Lisa Maxfield counted 22 killdeer at Ocean Park on Oct. 30, John Freedman saw two lesser yellowlegs on Upper Chilmark Pond on Oct. 30, and John Nelson found a flock of 18 greater yellowlegs at Eel Pond on Oct. 30.
Tree swallows are also lingering. Nancy Weaver estimated 300 were at Cove Meadow Preserve on Oct. 25, and Prudy Burt figured there were 500 near Black Point Pond on Oct. 27.
Ruby-crowned kinglets are lingering. Bob Shriber spotted one in Aquinnah on Oct. 24 and three on Oct. 27 and Oct. 28. He also saw one along Meeting House Road on Oct. 26. Nancy Weaver joined him and they located one at Thimble Farm on Oct. 26, and Nancy found one at Pancake Hollow on Oct. 30.
Golden-crowned kinglets will stay through the winter. Nancy Nordin located two at her home on Oct. 24, Bob Shriber had one in Aquinnah on Oct. 27 and Oct. 28, and Thaw Malin and Cynthia Bloomquist observed one at their home on Oct. 28.
Bob Shriber saw four hermit thrushes in Aquinnah on Oct. 27, and Nancy Weaver spotted two at Pancake Hollow in Aquinnah on Oct. 30.
Eastern bluebirds are another thrush. On Oct. 24, Nancy Nordin watched three bluebirds and five cedar waxwings at her home and three bluebirds at Katama Farm. Nancy Weaver counted eight bluebirds at Thimble Farm on Oct. 26.
Nancy Nordin observed three yellow-bellied sapsuckers at her West Tisbury home on Oct. 24. Bob Shriber found one sapsucker in Aquinnah on both Oct. 27 and 28, and Thaw Malin and Cynthia Bloomquist observed one sapsucker at their home on Oct. 28.
Northern flickers are also around. Nancy Nordin had two at her home on Oct. 24, Nancy Weaver watched one at Tea Lane Farm on Oct. 26, Bob Shriber watched one in Aquinnah on both Oct. 27 and Oct. 28, and I located two at the Gay Head Cliffs and one at Squibnocket Pond Reservation South on Oct. 29.
Blackbirds are passing through. Nancy Nordin saw two eastern meadowlarks at Katama Farm on Oct. 24, Bob Shriber counted 12 brown-headed cowbirds in Aquinnah on Oct. 24 and one red-winged blackbird in Aquinnah on Oct. 27.
A variety of sparrows were reported this week. Bob Shriber found the only two field sparrows in Aquinnah on Oct. 28. There were two sightings of dark-eyed juncos on Oct. 29. I spotted three at the Gay Head Cliffs and Cynthia Bloomquist and Thaw Malin observed two at their home.
There were five sightings of chipping sparrows. Jennifer Slossberg counted six at Tea Lane Farm on Oct. 25, Nancy Weaver saw one at Tea Lane Farm the next day, Bob Shriber and Nancy Weaver found three at Thimble Farm on Oct. 26, and Bob Shriber observed one in Aquinnah on both Oct. 24 and Oct. 28.
White-throated sparrows were seen even more frequently, with nine sightings. In Aquinnah (Bob Shriber, one, Oct. 24 and two on Oct. 28), Gay Head Cliffs (me, two, Oct. 29), East Pasture Way (Bridget Dunnigan and Sea Williams, four, Oct. 24), Squibnocket Pond Reservation South (me, three, Oct. 29), Tea Lane Farm (Nancy Weaver, one, Oct. 26), Meeting House Road (Bob Shriber, one, Oct. 26), Thimble Farm (Bob Shriber and Nancy Weaver, one, Oct. 26), and Katama Farm (Nancy Nordin, two, Oct. 24).
Of course, the year-round song sparrows are just about everywhere with even more sightings.
There were four sightings of great blue herons. On Oct. 25, Nancy Weaver spotted one at Cove Meadow Preserve, Susan Whiting and Nancy Nordin observed one at Tisbury Great Pond, and Ray Ewing found two at Sheriff’s Meadow Sanctuary. Nancy Weaver saw one at the pumping station on Oct. 29.
Finally, Nancy Weaver had the only snowy egret sighting, one at Eddy’s Island on Oct. 28.
Please email your sightings to birds@vineyardgazette.com.
Robert Culbert is an ecological consultant living in Vineyard Haven.