A common raven was spotted this weekend on the Vineyard, but despite the name the sighting is anything but common. This is only the second sighting of the species on the Island. The first-ever sighting was on April 20, 2014, by Adam Burnett on Chappaquiddick.
Luanne Johnson spotted the bird in West Tisbury on Nov. 4. The next day, Kelly Spencer, Ken Magnuson, Allan Keith and Lanny McDowell were able to find and photograph this large corvid, which was busy chasing and capturing insects on the road.
Ravens are 50 percent larger than our American crows, though the size is difficult to determine without a nearby crow. Their head and neck are much more massive in proportion to the rest of their body, and they have a large, wedge-shaped tail.
In 1980, common ravens were found as far south as northern New England, and by 2010 they had spread southward to live in most of New England except for southeastern Massachusetts, southern Rhode Island and southern Connecticut. But recently there have been numerous sightings on Cape Cod since September, and according to the website ebird.org, they are spreading into southeastern Massachusetts.
Ravens are now our fourth species of corvid on the Vineyard, along with long-time residents blue jays, plus American crows and the more recently arrived fish crows, both of which are back after being absent since last April. Two hundred or so fish crows are in downtown Vineyard Haven every day near Five Corners. They appear to be more abundant now than there were a week ago when they were first sighted.
David Stanwood reports Hitchcockian numbers of crows. There were a couple thousand fish and American crows congregating near the Lambert’s Cove Inn. For the past several winters, this is where the “commuter crows” have roosted from October to March; they are so named because they commute daily to Falmouth and beyond.
Things may be different this year, since Mr. Stanwood and Penny Uhlendorf have not observed the comings and goings of this flock even though they live along what has been the usual route between the Cape, the northern part of Lake Tashmoo, and the Lambert’s Cove Inn.
American crows are the traditional “commuter crows” and their daily commute has been noted since 1918! The first fish crows on the Island were observed on the 2010 Christmas Bird Count, where 20 of them were identified as part of a much larger roost of crows at Farm Neck. These smaller crows have been seen in increasing numbers every winter since then, although the roost at Farm Neck was abandoned a few years ago. And last year we had a flock of fish crows numbering about 1,000 that were present all day and night. They started out in Vineyard Haven and moved to Oak Bluffs and then on to Katama as the fall progressed.
The timing of the arrival of the raven and the commuter crows is interesting. Recently, I read some of William Brewster’s essays about the birds he observed along the Concord River near Lincoln, Mass. from 1890 to 1910. He makes several references to observing large flocks of migrating crows in October and November. It sounds strange to think of migrating crows since they are year-round residents here, but a look at their range map shows that crows nesting in Canada are only there for the summer. It is possible that our commuter American crows are migrants from Canada. We do not have any idea where the large numbers of fish crows are when they are not here.
Other Sightings
Two new species for the fall migratory season were recorded this week. One is a winter wren spotted by Matt Pelikan on Nov. 7, at the Nature Conservancy office off Lambert’s Cove Road. The second is Mr. Keith’s Nov. 6 report of four rusty blackbirds at the Gay Head Cliffs, in a flock with a dozen red-winged blackbirds and 20 or so brown-headed cowbirds. He also notes that there were 100 gannets offshore.
On the warbler front, Susan McCoy spotted a black-throated blue warbler as she walked the Cross-Chappaquiddick trail on Nov. 4. On Nov. 5 I spotted a Cape May warbler at the Oak Bluffs Pumping Station. It was still partially in its breeding plumage, making its identification much easier. There are numerous reports of yellow-rumped warblers, and they are present through the winter.
Mr. McDowell’s highlights from the weekend of Nov. 5-6 were a flock of American pipits at Katama and a late semipalmated plover on Norton Point Beach.
Happy and Steve Spongberg report that a Swainson’s thrush visited their from porch at dusk on Oct. 31. This is certainly an unusual location for any thrush, even a robin. Ms. McCoy also reports a hermit thrush — a species that is here through the winter in small numbers — at Ice House Pond on Nov. 5.
Prudy Burt reports that there were about 40 snow buntings on the beach at Chilmark Pond on Nov. 2. She comments that these birds “aren’t much for sitting still,” which is certainly true as they are constantly in search of bugs and seeds in and around the dunes. They seem particularly fond of the beachgrass seeds. Mr. Magnuson also observed snow buntings on Lobsterville Beach on Nov. 6.
Susan (Soo) Whiting’s feeder has hosted a few migrants recently. A female purple finch was there on Oct. 25, and on Nov. 6 she found a yellow-bellied sapsucker.
There were eastern bluebirds at Felix Neck on Nov. 6.
Numerous observers report red-breasted nuthatches at their feeders. It is still migration season, but maybe they will be more abundant this winter.
Stephanie Tilton reports a covey of ten northern bobwhites alongside Panhandle Road in West Tisbury on Nov. 4.
And last but not least, Vasha Brunelle noted the arrival of a flock of 75 bufflehead in west arm of Lagoon Pond on Nov. 6.
Rarities and other migrants are passing through; please look for them and report your sightings to birds@mvgazette.com.
Robert Culbert leads Guided Birding Tours and is an ecological consultant living in Vineyard Haven.
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