Northern shrikes are perhaps our smallest avian predator, about the size of a mockingbird and with a generally similar gray and white plumage. The shrike, also known as butcher bird for its habit of impaling its prey on thorns and branches, has a black mask as well as black on its wings and tail, and a beak more like that of a hawk than a mockingbird. Shrikes are not seen very often on the Island, so Ken and Kelly Magnuson’s sighting of one in Lobsterville on Feb. 22 is exciting. The next day, Luanne Johnson, Nancy Weaver and Margaret Curtin found the bird in the cedars at the West Basin, just before the boat launch ramp.
Almost as unusual nowadays is a sighting of a canvasback (duck). They were fairly common winter residents in the 1970s and 1980s, but now we only see a couple of them every winter. We have to work to find them now, so it is exciting that Phil Edmundson spotted two females on a south shore pond on Feb. 23.
Rick Dwyer’s sighting of an osprey on Feb. 14, as reported in last week’s column, now has another chapter. Tim Leland was at Wasque on Feb. 16 when he saw an osprey flying over some pines near Poucha Pond. He provided a good description and so becomes the second observer familiar with ospreys to see this bird. While a photograph would be preferable, two independent observers is the next best option for confirming a very early sighting of this species. Interestingly, Luanne Johnson spotted an osprey near Major’s Cove last year on Feb. 20.
Even more people are reporting the arrival of red-winged blackbirds, following several sightings reported in last week’s column. Ken LaVigne observed one on Feb. 24, Albert Fischer had 14 red-wings in with his large flock of grackles, Jeff Verner had one visit his feeders and a few more in the treetops on Feb. 21, Sue Shea observed a male on Feb. 20, the same day that Robin and David Nash found one. Only the earliest ones are back, so more are soon to follow. Female red-wings typically arrive several weeks after the first males; who will be the first to spot one?
There are two reports on the owl front. First, on Feb. 19 the barred owls were heard calling near Sheriff’s Meadow Sanctuary in Edgartown. Both Maria Thibodeau and Stephanie Tilton have been hearing them. The second owl species is from Cris and Skip Mayhew as they drove Norton Point Beach on Feb. 19 — they spotted a pure white male snowy owl, which a Trustees of Reservations’ ranger reports has been there for about four days. Rita Brown also spotted this bird on Feb. 19, and Holly Mercier found it on Feb. 20.
Kath MayWaite reports ring-necked duck and greater scaup at the Head of the Lagoon on Feb. 22.
Bri Buchanan-Valenti found two dead razorbills at Squibnocket beach on Feb. 22. It is not too surprising to find dead alcids (murres, puffins, razorbills,and dovekies) at this time of the year as the stressful northward migration to their breeding grounds is starting, and birds that are not in the best of health will not make it.
Jeff Verner reports that a tree sparrow has been visiting his feeders several times per week for the last two months. This is the only sighting that has been reported to me this winter. We did not find this species on the Christmas Bird Count, the first time we have not seen them on the count. He also observed a brown creeper and a barn owl in his yard recently.
Some birds end up in strange locations. We do not expect any merganser to be in the middle of Deep Bottom Road, but that is where Samantha Chronister Greene found one on Feb. 22. She reports that it appeared stunned, but that it shortly headed back to the nearest cove of Tisbury Great Pond.
The Great Backyard Bird Count was held over the long Presidents Day weekend. There were eight participants: Russell Carson, Robert Culbert, Luanne Johnson, Niki Patton, Jeff Peters, Penny Uhlendorf, Linda Vadasz, and one anonymous birder. We found 62 species; the list follows.
Brant, Canada goose, mute swan, American wigeon, American black duck, mallard, scaup species, common eider, surf scoter, bufflehead, common goldeneye, Barrow’s goldeneye, hooded merganser, red-breasted merganser, wild turkey, red-throated loon, common loon, great blue heron, black-crowned night-heron, turkey vulture, northern harrier, sharp-shinned hawk, Cooper’s hawk, red-tailed hawk, black-bellied plover, sanderling, dunlin, ring-billed gull, herring gull, great black-backed gull, rock pigeon, mourning dove, eastern screech-owl, belted kingfisher, red-bellied woodpecker, downy woodpecker, hairy woodpecker, northern flicker, blue jay, American crow, fish crow, horned lark, black-capped chickadee, tufted titmouse, red-breasted nuthatch, white-breasted nuthatch, brown creeper, Carolina wren, eastern bluebird, hermit thrush, American robin, European starling, yellow-rumped warbler, dark-eyed junco, white-throated sparrow, savannah sparrow, song sparrow, swamp sparrow, northern cardinal, red-winged blackbird, house finch, American goldfinch, and house sparrow
Spring is coming. Please report your sightings to birds@mvgazette.com.
Robert Culbert schedules private guided birding tours and is an ecological consultant with Nature Watch LLC, living in Vineyard Haven.
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