Birders tend to go where they find interesting birds. Susan Whiting, Lanny McDowell, Bob Shriber, Nancy Nordin and myself teamed up to find 60 species on the morning of Oct. 27, most of which were songbirds. We generally do not find that many species in three hours. Some of us were looking in one direction when others were looking elsewhere and finding other species.
One example of this is the unusually late flock of six bank swallows that Susan and Nancy spotted. It would have been easy to miss these swallows as they flew past quickly. Other highlights of our visit include three laughing gulls, one northern harrier, one merlin, two bald eagles, one eastern phoebe, two blue-headed vireos, three tree swallows, 20 cedar waxwings, three pine siskins, one white-crowned sparrow and four rusty blackbirds (the second sighting this year). The Gay Head Cliffs area has once again reinforced its prominence to birders.
Unexpected sightings this week were of a broad-winged hawk and a Connecticut warbler. Bob Shriber and Susan Whiting saw the broad-winged hawk at Pilot’s Landing on Oct. 25. The Connecticut warbler, an elusive and retiring species that tends to stay within dense undergrowth, has only two Island sightings in the e-bird database (early October in 1997 and 2001). On Oct. 12 one of these secretive warblers unfortunately flew into an Abel’s Hill window and Allan Keith confirmed the identification.
Charles Morano spotted another late swallow (a cliff swallow) at the right fork of Katama on Oct. 27, the second report of that species this year. Tree swallows are more abundant with some rather large flocks. The MV Bird Club observed a flock of more than 1,000 birds at Long Point on Oct. 5, Carlton Simonin located a large flock of them swirling around State Beach on Oct. 11, and Laura Lennihan spotted 1,000 at the Gay Head Cliffs on Oct. 15.
Some species linger longer than others. Chris Scott found a late migrating common tern at Long Point on Oct. 26. Shea Fee located three Wilson’s snipes at Long Point on Oct. 23, Shea and Luanne Johnson also found one at the Oak Bluffs Pumping Station on Oct. 27. Cynthia Bloomquist found a marsh wren at Sheriff’s Meadow Sanctuary on Oct. 19 and Charles Morano observed one at Long Point on Oct. 24.
Three eastern towhees were seen this week. I observed one at Christiantown on Oct. 21, Charles Morano found one towhee at Crystal Lake on Oct. 25, and Susan Whiting and Bob Shriber had one towhee off State Road in Aquinnah on Oct. 25. There were six sightings of gray catbirds. On Oct. 21, I spotted one at Christiantown, and Nancy Nordin saw one at Tashmoo Springs. Chris Scott saw two at Pecoy Point on Oct. 22, Charles Morano found one at Sheriff’s Meadow Sanctuary on Oct. 26 and Rich Couse located one at the Hoft Farm on Oct. 27, the same day that Allan Keith located one at Squibnocket Point. Small numbers of both species will stay through the winter.
We hosted a brown pelican twice this fall, and the second coming may well be over. Chris Scott observed the brown pelican in Edgartown harbor on Oct. 24, and Harvey Lederman observed one flying past Philbin Beach on Oct. 27. Did the pelican finally depart?
Other species are arriving. The first northern gannets were observed this week. Bob Shriber watched three in Aquinnah on Oct. 23, Lindsay Allison saw them from Wasque on Oct. 24, Tracy Winn located one from the Gay Head Cliffs on Oct. 25, and the above mentioned Aquinnah quintet watched 20 of them flying by on Oct. 27.
Shea Fee found the first four ring-necked ducks of the season at Long Point on Oct. 23, as well as 48 first-of-the-season greater scaup, one red-breasted merganser and 20 ruddy ducks. The mergansers have also been observed this month at the Gay Head Cliffs, Lobsterville Beach, Menemsha Beach, Long Point, Crystal Lake, Eel Pond and Tom’s Neck, while ruddies have also been seen this month at Crackatuxet Cove and the Gay Head Cliffs.
Charles Morano observed a winter wren at Long Point on Oct. 24, and on Oct. 27 Jennifer Slossberg found one at Middle Line Woods and Charles Morano, Luanne Johnson and Shea Fee had one at the Oak Bluffs Pumping Station.
Buffleheads are becoming more common as they start to build up to their common winter resident status. At Tashmoo Springs Jennifer Slossberg saw two on Oct. 21. Nancy Weaver also spotted two on Oct. 25, Ruth Richards had four on Oct. 26, and Charles Morano observed three on Oct. 27. Tracy Winn found one at the Gay Head Cliffs on Oct. 25.
Loon numbers are slowly increasing to their winter levels. Chris Scott watched two commons at Cape Pogue on Oct. 21, Bob Shriber had one common from Norton Point on Oct. 23, Kimberly Snyder found one common off the Gay Head Cliffs on Oct. 23, Charles Morano located one red-throated and two commons from Long Point on Oct. 24, Tracy Winn spotted one red-throated and one common from the Gay Head Cliffs on Oct. 25, Chris Scott saw two commons from Long Point on Oct. 26 and I observed two red-throateds and one common from the Gay Head Cliffs on Oct. 27.
Nancy Nordin saw a yellow-bellied sapsucker at Tashmoo Springs on Oct. 21, Bob Shriber and Susan Whiting observed one at Pilot’s Landing, and Cynthia Bloomquist and Thaw Malin had one visiting their feeders on Oct. 25.
Turkey vultures are year-round residents. Nancy Weaver saw one at Tashmoo Springs on Oct. 23, I spotted five at Katama Farm on Oct. 24, Bob Shriber and Susan Whiting found one at Pilot’s Landing on Oct. 25, Nancy Nordin had one over the Gay Head Cliffs on Oct. 26 and the troika of Shea Fee, Margaret Curtin and Luanne Johnson found five at the Oak Bluffs Pumping Station on Oct. 27.
This week ring-necked pheasants have been located three times between the Right Fork and Crackatuxet Cove. Nancy Nordin had two on Oct. 19, Ruth Richards heard one on Oct. 21 and Charles Morano found one on Oct. 27.
Please email your sightings to birds@vineyardgazette.com.
Robert Culbert is an ecological consultant with Nature Watch living in Vineyard Haven.
Comments
Comment policy »