The surest sign of the earliest spring migration is the arrival of the blackbirds. And now they have arrived. Ned Casey reports that three grackles arrived at his feeders on Feb. 18, as does Maggie Bresnahan. And that same day Matt Pelikan found a male grackle along Wing Road in Oak Bluffs.

Red-winged blackbirds are singing in the marsh. — Lanny McDowell

On Feb. 16, Page Rogers reports hearing red-winged blackbirds singing in a marsh as she drove by. On Feb. 19 Tom Hodgson heard them singing at Town Cove on Tisbury Great Pond. These are migrants, arriving back on their nesting grounds and using their song to start establishing their territories. We have had several other earlier reports of red-wings at feeders, from Bill McClaren on Feb. 11 and Sheila Baird on Jan. 31, but these earlier sightings may be individuals that have spent the winter here.

Louisa Hufstader is the first to report courting American woodcocks, which she first heard from Planting Field Way in Edgartown on the evening of Feb. 14.

Speaking of migrants, Lisa Maxfield reports that a friend of hers spotted several great egrets at Harthaven Pond on Feb. 19. These birds are most unexpected, as they are here about a month before they are expected to arrive.

Bird Sightings

Barred owl has been heard in Edgartown. — Lanny McDowell

At long last, the barred owl has re-appeared. Margaret Curtin and Greg Palermo heard one calling near the Martha’s Vineyard Museum (downtown Edgartown location) on Feb. 18. And Gail Avakian has been hearing one calling from the Sweetened Water Farm area. Are these different birds? As the owl flies, there is about one mile separating these sites, which seems a bit too far to be one breeding territory.

And there are still bald eagles hanging out around Edgartown Great Pond as of Feb. 19. Jeff Bernier, Maria Thibodeau and Lanny McDowell all report observing them.

Norma Holmes reports that the peregrine falcon was again present at its Big Bridge haunts on the afternoon of Feb. 13. My luck — I go there but it is not. Jane Culbert visited on Feb. 18 to see the high achool’s production of West Side Story (a great show!) and we also saw the snowy owl on the Oak Bluffs side of the Big Bridge. Lisa Maxfield, Margaret Curtin, and many others observed it there on Feb. 17, and Jeffrey Gendreau found it there on Feb 16.

On the non-predator side, James Suozo reports purple sandpiper, great cormorants and harlequin ducks at Squibnocket Beach on Feb. 14.

And last but not least, here is the final list of species we observed on the Dec. 29, 2017 Christmas Bird Count.

Our many winter residents are here; please report your sightings in this new year to birds@mvgazette.com.

Robert Culbert is an ecological consultant living in Vineyard Haven.

Photos of recent bird sightings on Martha's Vineyard.