Most, but not all Baltimore orioles have left for points south by now, but some will linger into January. On August 24 Steve Allen spotted four at Felix Neck and Pamela Sowizral found two along Holly Bear Lane in Edgartown. On August 26 Holly Mercier saw two in her Edgartown yard, Nancy Nordin observed one in her West Tisbury yard and Philip Edmundson located three near Watcha Pond. Susan Whiting discovered one at Old Field’s Path in Chilmark on August 30, Bob Shriber joined her on Sept. 11 and they watched one in Aquinnah, Richard and Diane Audette had two near Stonewall Pond on Sept. 12 and Stuart and Susan and Stuart Santos found two at Felix Neck on Sept. 15.
Pine warblers are lingering and a few may stay through the winter. Steve Allen spotted one at Felix Neck on both Sept. 10 and Sept. 13, Diane Audette found two near Stonewall Pond on Sept. 12, Chris Scott observed two at Sepiessa Point on Sept. 14. At Felix Neck Stuart and Susan Santos saw an amazing six on Sept. 12 and eight on Sept. 15, while that same day Nancy Nordin located one at the Gay Head Cliffs.
The horned grebe reported previously is still hanging around; it is a winter resident that showed up early. Walt Looney found it again at Eel Pond on Sept. 15, now starting to molt out of its breeding plumage.
Laura Lennihan found the brown pelican on Sept. 9 at one of its favored spots along Weaver Lane in Vineyard Haven on Sept. 9. Betsy and Joe Goldberg and Bob Shriber saw it on Sept. 12 as it flew past their house in Eastville and then sat in the water off the jetty by the drawbridge. A nice yard bird!
Bird Sightings
This week two new species for the year were located. Allan Keith found one Say’s phoebe at the Gay Head Cliffs on Sept. 13, a western species. Matthew Born watched a common nighthawk as it flew overhead at Clay Pit Road in Aquinnah on Sept. 11. It is amazing to watch these acrobatic fliers pursuing and catching insects.
Speaking of catching insects, Jim Casamento found one least flycatcher at Felix Neck on Sept. 11. The only other sighting of this species this year was April 28 on Cape Pogue. Tree swallows also eat lots of insects! At this time of the year there should be huge flocks of southbound migrants — thousands swarming around as they catch insects on the wing. We have not seen such multitudes so far this fall. Ann Ramminger found a flock of 300 at Long Point on Sept. 9, Joachim Gonzalez estimated 400 individuals in a flock at Blackwater Pond on Sept. 10 — including one rough-winged and one barn swallow — and Shea Fee observed a flock of 250 tree and two barn swallows at Long Point on Sept. 13. Sightings of fewer swallows include Dave Oster 35 at Blackwater Pond Sept. 9, Thaw Malin and Cynthia Bloomquist eight at Katama Farm Sept. 9, Ann Ramminger 20 at Katama Airpark Sept. 10, Jim Casamento six at Gay Head cliffs Sept. 11, Bob Shriber and Susan Whiting 50 tree and one barn at Tisbury Great Pond Sept. 13 and Shea Fee five at Quansoo Sept. 14.
A veery is another species that has not been seen since mid-May, when there were three sightings of north-bound migrants. Matt Born observed a southbound migrant at Clay Pit Road in Aquinnah on Sept. 13.
Southbound warbler migration is peaking now. The more common warblers sighted include prairie, common yellowthroat and northern parula. The only yellow warbler sighting — frequently seen through August — was from Jules S., who saw one on Sept. 14 at South Beach. Other warbler sightings: Bob Shriber one blackpoll in Aquinnah Sept. 9, Chris Scott and Allan Keith one magnolia at the Gay Head Sept. 9; Susan Whiting and Bob Shriber one northern waterthrush, one black-and-white, one redstart, three Cape May and one black-throated blue in Aquinnah Sept. 11, Nancy Nordin one female black-throated blue in West Tisbury Sept. 14 while I had a male at Cedar Tree Neck that day, Chris Scott one Nashville at Sepiessa Point Sept. 14, Nancy Nordin two northern waterthrush and one Cape May at the Gay Head Cliffs Sept. 14. Jim Casamento adds one yellow-throated vireo at Felix Neck Sept. 11, and Nancy Nordin one white-eyed vireo and four red-eyed vireo at the cliffs on Sept. 14.
A golden-crowned kinglet is another arriving southbound migrant; the species is a winter resident here. Nancy Nordin spotted one at her West Tisbury home on Sept. 9, which seems to be a tad early.
Falcons are on the move. A merlin has been reported by Shea Fee at Long Point Sept. 6, Thaw Malin and Cynthia Bloomquist at Katama Farm Sept. 9, and Jules S. at Atlantic Drive Sept. 15. A peregrine falcon was seen by Nancy Nordin and Susan Whiting at Black Point Pond on Sept. 4, Shea Fee at Quansoo Farm on Sept. 8 and Thaw Malin and Cynthia Bloomquist at Red Beach on Sept. 11. Soon both will be more abundant.
Highlights of the southbound migrant shorebirds are as follows. Jean and Warren Woessner observed one at Norton Point Sept. 12, Bob Shriber and Susan Whiting also saw one at Tisbury Great Pond along with nine red knots and 40 semipalmated sandpipers Sept. 13, Bob Shriber added one golden plover to that list, and Shea Fee found eight red knots at Quansoo Sept. 14.
There were two sightings of wood ducks this week: Matthew Born observed two at Clay Pit Road in Aquinnah Sept. 10 and Peter Enrich reports two wood ducks came out from behind the emergent vegetation on Ames Pond at Cedar Tree Neck Sept. 15.
Finally, more nesting bird news from Holly Mercier, who watched young northern cardinals and American goldfinches being fed by their parents in Edgartown Sept. 15.
Please email your sightings to birds@vineyardgazette.com.
Robert Culbert is an ecological consultant with Nature Watch living in Vineyard Haven.
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