Birds are racing to their breeding grounds. Most do not come our way since we are in the Atlantic Ocean; they prefer to stay well to the west, bypassing the Cape and Islands by traveling from Providence to Boston or up the Connecticut or Hudson Rivers. But some do come our way.
Occasionally storms and strong southerly winds cause species to overshoot their intended destination; this combination of weather events caused three unusual sightings of mostly southern species that are rare transients here. The first is a hooded warbler, spotted by Allan Keith at the southern end of Fulling Mill Brook on April 18. This yellow and black male stayed around through April 22 and was observed by Lanny McDowell, Ken Magnuson, Nancy Weaver and Jeff Bernier. The second mostly southern species sighted this week is a blue grosbeak, which showed up at Tom Hodgson’s feeder in West Tisbury on April 20 and stayed around at least through April 22. It was also observed by Ken Magnuson and Lanny McDowell on their second attempt to see it; they did not see it on their first attempt, but were not disappointed because they found a worm-eating warbler instead. This third mostly southern species is a non-descript species usually found in the dense woodland understory.
Antone Lima spotted a northern waterthrush on April 17 in the land bank’s Farm Pond trail. This warbler prefers to be on or near the ground near streams or wetlands, and is an unusual sighting in the spring (it is much more common in the late summer on its southward migration). This is the earliest date for seeing this species on the Island, a few days earlier than the previous early date of April 20, set in 1980.
Many have seen rose-breasted grosbeaks this week, as a wave of them arrived and spread across the Island. Catherine Deese had one at her Chilmark feeder on April 17 and Sioux Eagle saw one at her West Tisbury feeder. Then three others were discovered on April 19: one at Tom Hodgson’s, another by Jody Angevin near Ox Pond Meadow in Edgartown, and both a male and a female at Laura and Ken LaVigne’s feeders near Felix Neck. On April 20, Debby Mello Orazem was excited to see one at her Edgartown feeder, while the next day Norma Costain observed one on Chappaquiddick. Hans Goeckel has had a grosbeak visiting his feeder for a few days. Sioux Eagle’s grosbeak was still visiting as of April 22, along with the more normal tufted titmice, blue jays, house finches, black-capped chickadees, mourning doves, Carolina wrens, cardinals, white-breasted nuthatches, dark-eyed juncos, red-bellied woodpeckers, downy woodpeckers, crows, goldfinches and starlings.
Multiple indigo buntings have been spotted. Nancy Slate found one on April 17 on Chappaquiddick, the same day that Nelson Smith found on the Head of Pond Road in Oak Bluffs. The next day, Allan Keith found one at Abel’s Hill, while Sandra Talanian spotted one on April 19 at Katama. The next day, Gus Ben David had one visiting his feeder.
Lanny McDowell visited Fulling Mill Brook on April 20 and spotted two blue-gray gnatcatchers and a ruby-crowned kinglet.
The token waterbirds for this week are a spotted sandpiper spotted by Mike Ditchfield by a pond in Dark Woods on April 21, and a laughing gull spotted by John Nelson on April 17 in Harthaven.
And now on to the migrants that breed here.
Three scarlet tanagers showed up on April 17; one was at Leslie Freeman’s Vineyard Haven feeder, Mike Zoll saw one at Farm Neck, and Jo-Ann Eccher found one on Old South Road in Aquinnah. A close relative, a summer tanager, was photographed by Leah Miranda in Oak Bluffs on April 22.
Mim Anders won the first sighting of a ruby-throated hummingbird contest with her April 17 sighting of one in her blueberry bushes. Norma Holmes gets second place as she spotted one on April 22, the same day she had a male Baltimore oriole show up at her Chappaquiddick feeder.
The first catbirds have returned. Polly Bassett spotted one on April 17, while both Norma Costain and Sue Shea spotted theirs on April 21. Margarita Kelly spotted one by her forsythia bushes on April 23.
The first eastern towhees (formerly called rufous-sided towhees) also showed up. Daisy Kimberly found one on April 17, Susan Straight reports two of them at Felix Neck on April 20, while Nancy Slate saw one on April 21.
Matt Pelikan spotted some chipping sparrow at The Nature Conservancy’s office on April 19 — they arrived overnight (most songbirds migrate at night) despite the rain. And Gus Ben David had one arrive at his feeder on April 23.
Two American pipits, a killdeer and a female kestrel were the highlights reported by John Nelson on April 18 in the fields of the Farm Institute. Hans Goeckel also reports a kestrel hunting the fields at Herring Creek Farm on April 23.
John Nelson also spotted the leucistic robin on April 18 at the Katama Airfield; this same bird was also spotted that day by Mariah BenDavid on nearby Navy Way. It has been there since April 8, when he first reported it.
The only year-round resident featured in this week’s column is the bobwhite quail. Judy Bryant had several of them visiting her feeder on April 19. This species used to be common up to the early 1980s; they have been rare since then but seem to be making a comeback in recent years.
Most of the nesting osprey are back now, and Gus Ben David is pleased that a pair of osprey finally started using the nesting pole he put up in his yard 24 years ago! He is busy at this time of the year as he responds to reports of osprey starting to build nests on the poles for power lines. He asks that people please report any such nest-building activity on power lines; he and Eversource have long worked together to protect the birds and your electricity.
Please report your sightings to birds@mvgazette.com.
Robert Culbert is an ecological consultant living in Vineyard Haven.
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