This is the time of the year that a wide variety of birds are winging their way south, passing through the Vineyard on their way. They come from anywhere north of here, from Alaska to Hudson’s Bay to Newfoundland, and occasionally even Greenland. A lark sparrow highlights this week’s sightings. One was observed near the Gay Head Cliffs a while back, and now the triumvirate of Susan Whiting, Allan Keith and Bob Shriber found another one there on Sept. 20. Matt Pelikan saw it the next day, and he also found a few other fall specialties: Lincoln’s sparrow, dickcissel, and a few bobolinks, as well as the more usual cedar waxwing and merlin.
Pilgrimages to anywhere in Aquinnah are usually productive at this time of the year. The highlights of Allan Keith’s Sept. 14 visit include chimney swift at Gay Head and both prairie and yellow warblers at the Gay Head Moraine. At his Chilmark home he added a western palm warbler. He and Pete Gilmore teamed up on Sept. 17 to find the diminutive and hyper-active blue-gray gnatcatcher as well as the following warblers: black-throated green, black-and-white, and blackpoll. A peregrine falcon and a merlin were also seen.
At Squibnocket their highlights were Nashville warbler, three species of vireos (red-eyed, warbling and Philadelphia), and four blue-winged teal.
On Sept. 20 Mr Keith found a parula warbler and a warbling vireo at Gay Head and a black-throated green warbler at Squibnocket.
On Sept. 16 Bob Shriber added a ninth species of warbler, a blue-winged warbler he found along Moshup’s Trail.
Susan Whiting has seen bluebirds, pine warblers and a first of the season hairy woodpecker at her Chilmark feeders.
Ruby-throated hummingbirds are still fairly abundant across the Island as 25 people have observed them in the past week, including Susan Whiting, Tim Rich, Bert Fischer, Tom Hodgson, Charlie Kernick, Robert Grosch, Christy Edwards, Andrea Fink, Sharon McCann, Janet Sigler, Jackie Callahan, Rick Karney, Lindsay Patterson, Daisy Erly, Tom Mayhew, Ellen O’Brien, Connie Alexander, Jeri Danzig, Margaret Isham, Catherine Deese, Nancy Gardella, Kathy Landers, Marsha Eldridge, Nate Durawa and Polly Bassett. All these sightings were made at nectar feeders. They soon will depart for points south, but keep the feeders up as the season for western strays is starting.
Look at each hummer carefully and take a photo if you think it might not be a ruby-throated. Send the pictures to me and I will forward the photos to those who can distinguish between these sometimes very similar species.
On the waterbird front, Guy Babineau visited Aquinah several times this past week and spotted two new seasonal arrivals: great cormorants and northern gannets. Both species will become more abundant as the fall progresses.
Paul Sowizral found another late summer and fall specialty, a royal tern, at Lake Tashmoo on Sept. 15. Most likely this bird was carried northward by Hurricane Dorian and is now making its way back southward.
The marbled godwit is still hanging around at Little Beach in Edgartown. Jeff Bernier spotted one of them on Sept. 21 and Lanny McDowell spotted two on Sept. 16. It is worth a visit to try finding this large shorebird with a long up-turned bill as it does not grace our shores every year.
Jeanne Swope saw a whimbrel on Quitsa Pond on Sept. 20. This species is about the size of the godwits, but its long bill curves downward.
Allan Keith visited Norton Point Beach on Sept. 20 and found an eastern and a western willet. The latter is larger and paler than the former. He also spotted a kestrel, so all three species of falcons have been seen this week. Autumn is when that happens!
Also on the hawk front, Sue Fleming saw a bald eagle in Oak Bluffs on Sept. 22. Katherine Oscan spotted a northern harrier in Aquinnah on Sept. 17 and Jeff Bernier spotted another one at Edgartown Great Pond on Sept. 15.
Finally, feeding frenzies of waterbirds have been reported this week. To see so many large birds actively feeding is quite the spectacle! Lanny McDowell, Bob Shriber, Pete Gilmore and Allan Keith (birders flock together too) were excited to discover that also present were 25 Forster’s terns. This is a large flock for this species. More typical are the four Forster’s terns found by Bob Shriber on Norton Point on Sept. 16, or the single individuals flying around Mattakessett Bay observed by Jeff Bernier and myself on Sept. 21.
Warren Gossen also observed a feeding frenzy on Sengekontacket Pond on Sept. 20. Laughing gulls and double-crested cormorants were the participants this time. Also on Sengekontacket Pond, Jane Culbert observed a flock of cormorants foraging in a long line on Sept. 22. They were driving the baitfish along toward the shore and diving to catch the fish as they attempted to swim underneath, a very efficient foraging strategy.
Southbound migrants are abundant now. Please report your sightings to birds@mvgazette.com.
Robert Culbert is an ecological consultant with Nature Watch LLC living in Vineyard Haven.
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