The southbound migration is becoming more intense. I again went to the BirdCast website and averaged the daily numbers of birds crossing Dukes County every night since Sept. 1.
For the fist 12 days we averaged 31,800 birds per night, the second 12 days averaged 61,100 birds per night and the most recent 12 days averaged 77,400 birds per night. It does not get much better than this. Larger numbers of migrants makes birding more fun.
The sparrow migration just started and will continue for the next month or two. Nancy Nordin spotted two lark sparrows — a western stray — at the Gay Head Cliffs on Oct. 5. Bob Shriber, Thaw Malin and Cynthia Bloomquist also saw one of the lark sparrows. Nancy also found the first white-crowned sparrow of the season as well as swamp, white-throated, song, savannah, and chipping sparrows. Bob Shriber, Sea Williams, Bridget Dunnigan spotted four of the winter resident white-throated sparrows at Pilot’s Landing, Cynthia Bloomquist spotted four at her West Tisbury house, and Shea Fee located seven at Long Point, all on Oct. 4. Susan Whiting observed at least four chipping sparrows at Quansoo on Sept. 28 and David Padulo located one lingering field sparrow in the State Forest on Oct. 3.
Sea Williams, Bob Shriber, Bridget Dunnigan observed a solitary winter resident dark-eyed junco at Pilot’s Landing on Oct. 4. Eileen B. reports finding a first of the year dickcissel near Down Harbor Estates adjacent to Edgartown Harbor on Oct. 1, and Nancy Weaver found one American pipit in Menemsha on Oct. 4. These species will soon be more abundant.
Waterbirds will also become more abundant. Ruth Richards and Cheryl Ring spotted a first of the season red-throated loon at the Gay Head Cliffs on Oct. 1. And the MV Bird Club identified the first of the season greater scaup at Long Point on Oct. 5. Chris Scott found an early American wigeon at the Oak Bluffs Pumping Station on Oct. 2. And on Oct. 3 Pat Hughes and Susan Whiting saw two ruddy ducks off Big Sandy in Tisbury Great Pond.
Hawks are also increasing in abundance. All three falcons were observed this week. Ruth Richards and Cheryl Ring watched an American kestrel at the Gay Head Cliffs on Oct. 1 and Nancy Nordin also spotted one there on Oct. 5. The slightly larger merlin was seen by Shea Fee at Oak Bluffs pumping station Sept. 30, Chris Scott at Long Point and David Padulo in the state forest on Oct. 3, and the MV Bird Club found two at Long Point on Oct. 5. Bob Shriber and Susan Whiting spotted the largest falcon, a peregrine, at the Gay Head Cliffs
On Oct. 1, Robert Bleuth saw one there the next day, and Rich Couse found one at the Gay Head Cliffs on Oct. 3.
Ruth Richards and Cheryl Ring saw a ruby-crowned kinglet at the Gay Head Cliffs on Sept. 30, Bob Shriber found two in Aquinnah on Oct. 2, Nancy Weaver had one at Oxcart Path on Oct. 2, and Bob Shriber, Sea Williams, and Bridget Dunnigan observed one at Pilots Landing on Oct. 4.
Ruth Richards and Cheryl Ring found the other kinglet (a golden-crowned) at the Gay Head Cliffs on Sept. 30, and the MV Bird Club located another at Long Point on Oct. 5.
Other transients spotted this week include Nancy Weaver’s sighting of a bobolink in Menemsha on Oct. 4, Nancy Nordin also spotted one at the Gay Head Cliffs on Oct. 5, and Allan Keith discovered a lingering scarlet tanager at Squibnocket Point on Oct. 4.
Doug Rich found one late-lingering osprey at James Pond on Oct. 3, the same day that Susan Whiting and Pat Hughes saw one over Tisbury Great Pond.
On Oct. 5, the MV Bird Club had an osprey at Long Point and Nancy Nordin saw one at the Gay Head Cliffs. On Oct. 6 I saw one at Cedar Tree Neck, and Clifton Stone spotted one at Stonewall Pond.
A few ruby-throated hummingbirds are also lingering. Susan Whiting had one at her Old Fields Path feeder on Sept. 28. On Sept. 30 TJ Hegarty observed one at Buttonwood Farm. Jan Wightman and John Best watched two of them along Old County Road, while Cynthia Bloomquist and Thaw Malin saw one visiting their West Tisbury feeders on both Sept. 30 and Oct. 2.
Flycatchers are few and far between now. Shea Fee observed an eastern wood-pewee near Woodland Market on Oct. 3, and Nancy Nordin found a great crested flycatcher at the Gay Head Cliffs Oct. 5.
Two less than common thrushes were reported on Sept. 30. Nancy Weaver, Nancy Nordin and Bob Shriber observed a gray-cheeked thrush off Lighthouse Road and a Swainson’s thrush at the nearby Gay Head Cliffs.
Simon Hunton emailed me a while back to show his photos of an American bittern at Menemsha on Sept. 18, and Jennifer Slossberg found a green heron at Oyster Pond on Oct. 4.
And I have not even mentioned warblers yet. Twenty warbler species and three vireo species were observed, with the following highlights. On Sept. 30 Nancy Weaver and Nancy Nordin spotted one blackburnian warbler at the Gay Head Morraine, and Bob Shriber saw two Cape May, one blackburnian, one chestnut-sided and two black-throated green warblers in Aquinnah. The next day Lynn Buckmaster-Irwin observed a Wilson’s warbler along Indian Hill Road.
Nancy Weaver located an elusive northern waterthrush at Dogfish Bar on Oct. 2.
October 4 was a productive day. Sea Williams, Bridget Dunnigan and Bob Shriber watched an amazing nine black-throated green warblers at Pilots Landing and a chestnut-sided warbler and one blackpoll, off Lighthouse Road, Shea Fee discovered two black-throated blue warblers at Long Point, and Sea Williams, Bridget Dunnigan and Bob Shriber located one blackburnian warbler and one black-throated green warbler at Gay Head Morraine.
Chris Scott spotted a Tennessee warbler at Gay Head Morraine on Oct. 5, the same day that Allan Keith saw a Nashville warbler and a palm warbler at the Cliffs and both a Nashville and orange-crowned warbler at Squibnocket Point.
Other species with multiple sightings this week include common yellowthroat, American redstart, northern parula, pine, yellow-rumped, black and white, palm, magnolia warblers and red-eyed, blue-headed and yellow-throated vireos.
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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