I received an email from Doreen Kinsman which I found interesting, so I thought I would share the sections that are bird oriented.

“From 1558 until 1829, Roman Catholics in England were not permitted to practice their faith openly. Someone during that era wrote this carol as a catechism song for young Catholics. It has two levels of meaning: the surface meaning, plus a hidden meaning known only to members of their church. Each element in the carol has a code word for a religious reality which the children could remember.”

The partridge in a pear tree was Jesus Christ.
Two turtle doves were the Old and New Testaments.
Three French hens stood for faith, hope and love.
The four calling birds were the four gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.
The six geese a-laying stood for the six days of creation.
Seven swans a-swimming represented the sevenfold gifts of the Holy Spirit: Prophesy, Serving, Teaching, Exhortation, Contribution, Leadership and Mercy.

Have a good holiday season!

Bird Sightings:

Baltimore orioles are my vote for the bird of the week. They started to appear on Dec. 11 at several locations. Nancy and Brian Abbott had first one and then up to three at their Lambert’s Cove feeders “eating suet as fast as they can shovel it in.” They were still around on Dec. 14. Mary Jane Pease also had three Baltimore orioles at her shucked sunflower seed feeder on Abel’s Hill on Dec. 11. And finally, Charlie Kernick had a single Baltimore oriole at his West Tisbury feeder on Dec. 12 and 13. Charlie also sent a series of nice photos of a brown creeper that was creeping up an oak tree in his yard on Dec. 14.

David Nash and Robin Bray found an immature bald eagle being harassed by crows at the Edgartown landfill on Dec. 13. Robin and David added that the week before Thanksgiving they heard a great horned owl by their Katama home. They added that their feeder has attracted red-breasted nuthatches along with dark-eyed juncos and tufted titmice.

On Dec. 14 Happy and Steve Spongberg were walking on a new land bank property (Crompton Trail) off Middle Road when they flushed a bevy of six bobwhites. This was a first time Happy and Steve had seen bobwhites on the Vineyard.

Allan Keith spotted two eastern phoebes and two green-winged teal on his Turtle Brook Farm property in Chilmark on Dec. 13.

Ken Magnuson reported an eastern phoebe from the Edgartown Golf Club on Dec. 16.

Lanny McDowell had the first of the season pine warbler at the suet at his Tashmoo home on Dec. 14. I spotted one gleaning suet chips from under my Quenames suet feeder on Dec. 16.

Robert Cassidy reported a snowy owl at the Martha’s Vineyard Airport on Dec. 9 and 14, and then he saw it again on Dec. 16, as well as a northern harrier. Zach and Paul Magid spotted that owl on Dec. 15.

Chris Carroll saw a snowy owl perched on a sand dune of the barrier beach at Edgartown Great Pond on Dec. 15.

Penny Uhlendorf and Scott Stephens had an incredible experience the night of Dec. 15. Not only did they watch a fabulous meteor shower but they were also treated to a serenade by an eastern screech owl at the same time!

Bert Fischer spotted a late-staying great egret at West Basin on Dec. 15.

Nancy Weaver, Margaret Curtin and Greg Palermo found not one, not two, but four palm warblers at a park by Crow Hollow, Tisbury, known as Short Cove Preserve on Dec. 15.

Flip Harrington finds a belted kingfisher on Tisbury Great Pond almost daily, last seen on Dec. 15. We had a male brown-headed cowbird at our feeder on Dec. 15 along with the regulars.

Ed Grazda noted that a small flock of eastern bluebirds were checking out the bluebird houses at Peaked Hill on Dec. 13.

Please report your bird sightings to birds@mvgazette.com.
Susan B. Whiting is the co-author of Vineyard Birds and Vineyard Birds II. Her website is vineyardbirds2.com.