It is a bit early in the year for shorebirds to show up on their northward migration. It is still February, after all. But this does not mean the birds know this, and they can come early. However, it is difficult to distinguish between early migrants and birds that are attempting to survive through the winter. Fortunately, we now have a huge international database of bird sightings (ebird) which can help us make such distinctions.

Two species that are likely early migrants are Hans Goeckel’s great egret at Tom’s Neck on Chappaquiddick on Feb. 15, and Bob Shriber’s willet on Sarson’s island on Feb. 20. In the ebird database, there are no records of either species attempting to overwinter this far north. The closest great egret sighting is from southern New Jersey on Feb. 3, while the northernmost willet is from Myrtle Beach, S.C., on Jan. 26.

Two other possible early migrants are Hans Goeckel’s Feb. 15 sighting of an American oystercatcher at Norton Point Beach on Feb. 15, and Lanny McDowell’s greater yellowlegs in the West Basin salt marsh in Aquinnah on Feb. 17. Ebird has records of both species through the winter on the Cape Cod and elsewhere in Massachusetts; these other sightings increase the probability that they are overwintering wanderers.

More evidence of the approaching spring comes from David Dandridge, who spotted a raven carrying nesting material as it flew across the Vineyard Haven-Edgartown Road Feb. 19. Generally birds do not fly with vegetation in their beaks unless they are building a nest. And this species is an early nester.

Bird Sightings

Sheriff’s Meadow Sanctuary does it again. This past year has produced some unexpected species, from golden eagle to nighthawk to common merganser. On Feb. 24 I spotted a secretive marsh wren hopping around in a small stand of cattails at the southern end of the pond. According to ebird, this is the first report of these wrens from this location, and it may be the first February record for the Island. Bob Shriber also spotted a swamp sparrow there on Feb. 18.

A Eurasian wigeon is sighted on the Island in most winters. Margaret Curtin, Luanne Johnson, Danielle Belleny spotted the first one of the season in a pond along the south shore of Edgartown on Feb. 23.

Speaking of waterfowl, Phil Edmundson spotted 10 common mergansers on Watcha Pond on Feb. 23. Ponds along the south shore of the Island are where most of the sightings occur. Bob Shriber spotted four northern pintail and a lesser scaup on Chilmark Pond Feb. 21. He also found the greater white-fronted goose that was first spotted on Jan. 17; this time it was with Canada geese that were grazing in a meadow near where the left and right forks split. And Martha Moore reports she observed a canvasback on Middlepoint Cove on Feb. 21, a rare species nowadays that used to be much more common.

On Feb. 21 Bob Shriber saw the sparrow show at Allan Keith’s feeders. There was a clay-colored sparrow as well as chipping, tree and song sparrows.

On the predator front, Danielle Belleny spotted a short-eared owl as it flew over Edgartown Bay Road near the west end of Mattakesset Bay on Feb. 17. Tim Rush spotted a northern harrier hunting State Beach on Feb. 22. Bald eagle sightings are reported now almost every week: Peter Lambos was excited to report finding an adult bald eagle in Chilmark on Feb. 20, and Suzanne Hammond reports two bald eagles near Tisbury Great Pond on Feb. 18.

Finally, Matt Pelikan got a report of somebody harassing our only snowy owl of the winter by “flying a drone at it, presumably in an attempt to get photographs. I hope I don’t need to state that this is not acceptable behavior. Enjoy these remarkable birds all you want, but in a responsible way: if your behavior makes the owl flush, you are too close and intrusive. Having to fly in response to human harassment is a totally unnecessary waste of energy for a bird that exists in a precarious energetic balance.”

It certainly is exciting to see a snowy owl, but a bit of caution on your part will help to ensure that our actions do not harm the bird by making it to fly unnecessarily, or even cause it to move elsewhere.

The first north-bound migrants will show up soon. Please report your sightings to birds@mvgazette.com.

Robert Culbert teaches at the Oak Bluffs School and is an ecological consultant with Nature Watch LLC living in Vineyard Haven.