Barrow’s goldeneyes are not very common in these parts, but it seems that at least one or two individuals show up in January or February. So Allan Keith’s sighting is right in time; he found one male Barrow’s in with a flock of common goldeneye in Sengekontacket Pond between the two bridges on Jan. 16.
Careful observation is needed to distinguish between these two species; the Barrow’s has a white crescent of the side of his head rather than the white circle of a common goldeneye, and tends to have more black than white on its back and inner wing. Females are even trickier, as the female Barrow’s tends to have an almost entirely yellow bill at this time of the year, rather than just a yellow tip to the bill that the common has.
There are some common goldeneyes on most of the larger salt water ponds. And they will venture out into the Sound. Sharon Simonin spotted a common goldenneye off East Chop on Jan. 19, the same day she spotted a few hooded mergansers on Farm Pond.
Also on the waterfowl front, Margaret Klugman reports a flock of 10 ring-necked ducks on Hidden Cove in Sengekontacket Pond on Jan. 21. She also notes the presence of bufflehead, mergansers and a pair of mute swans.
Bird Sightings
Snowy owls are always of interest, and their presence has sparked many an individual’s interest in birds. They are great ambassadors into the birding world. On Jan. 18, Warren Gossen was at Great Rock Bight when he observed a snowy owl flying westward toward Menemsha. Did it make it to Lobsterville or some other locale? I have gotten no other reports.
Brown creepers are never easy to find, so to get two reports of this small and well-camouflaged species on the same day is remarkable. Both Sharon Pearson and Prudy Burt spotted a creeper in their yards on Jan. 21.
A flock of eastern bluebirds can brighten any winter’s day. Perhaps for that reason, there have been multiple reports of flocks of these birds this week. James Meyst spotted a flock along Airport Road on Jan. 19, while Leah Miranda reports bluebirds visiting her yard that day. Melissa Carr reports that Harthaven and Farm Neck are loaded with bluebirds. Amanda Dickenson reports a flock at Wascosim’s Rock last week. Holly Mercier has them visiting her feeders and birdbath every day. Wayne Smith has two pairs visiting his suet feeders this week.
Bluebirds often travel around with their close cousins, the robins (they are both in the thrush family). Daisy Kimberly has both robins and bluebirds visiting her yard. And Debbie Brown reports seeing robins in her Vineyard Haven yard. Sharon Pearson has also had robins visiting her yard recently, as did Steve and Christina Miller. Unfortunately, robins are not harbingers of spring as the ones we see now are winter residents that breed well to our north.
Jeff Bernier photographed a red-breasted merganser as it struggled to swallow a squirming American eel on Jan. 17 on Edgartown Great Pond. The eel was about as long as the merganser, but down it finally went.
Just in case anyone did not notice, it was cold and windy on Martin Luther King Day, Jan. 21. Did you ever wonder how birds cope with such temperatures? Of course feathers are possibly the best natural insulation, but that is not their only trick. Brian Packish observed another technique on East Beach, when he spotted two sanderlings hiding in a calm spot behind a small clump of seaweed. They were also resting on one leg (do not try this yourself), with the other tucked up inside their belly feathers.
Janet Woodcock reports a ruby-crowned kinglet visited her yard on Jan. 14.
A cheery note for those who are itching for spring to come: on Jan. 15 I went outside to fill our small bird feeder and heard a black-capped chickadee singing. Not the chickadee-dee-dee call, but the whistled two-note fee-bee song. A song sparrow was also tuning up, although it has a ways to go, as it barely resembled their normal robust song. A couple of days later I heard a Carolina wren singing its loud three-note song over and over again. Listen for the slowly increasing bird song.
It is getting light ever earlier and so this month our thoughts and ears turn to increased bird song. Please report all your sightings to birds@mvgazette.com.
Robert Culbert will schedule a private Guided Birding Tour with you, and is an ecological consultant with Nature Watch, LLC living in Vineyard Haven.
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