It is late November. The southward migration that started in late June is still continuing but at a much lower rate. Our winter resident birds continue to arrive. The migration may continue into the New Year.
The most intriguing arrival is Charles Morano’s sighting of a Pacific loon off Lobsterville Beach on Nov. 19. He studied it preening for about 15 minutes and distinguished it from a red-throated loon by its dainty-bill, strongly demarcated neck line, rounded head and faint chinstrap. Oddly enough the most recent Pacific loons were also reported off Lobsterville but that was many years ago. Ken Magnuson found one on Dec. 26, 2015 and later that day the quartet of Susan Whiting, Lanny McDowell, Allan Keith and the late Flip Harrington found it. Bill Thompson, Angela Walsh, Xiuling Wei and Connie Schlotterbeck found one near Menemsha Beach on Jan. 9, 2016.
Much more expected is an American kestrel, which Lanny McDowell observed at Katama Farm on Nov. 17. Chris Scott saw the kestrel at Katama Farm on Nov. 19.
Another first of the season is Patsy Donovan’s sighting of a common goldeneye at Crystal Lake on Nov. 17. She also saw many hooded mergansers, a few buffleheads, American wigeon and the lingering Eurasian wigeon. She could not find the Northern Shoveler but Lanny McDowell spotted it there on Nov. 21 and Shea Fee and Nancy Weaver found it on Nov. 24.
Two first-of-season sparrows were observed this week. Charles Morano and Bob Shriber found a fox sparrow near Black Point Pond on Nov. 17, and Jennifer Slossberg observed a vesper sparrow at Tashmoo Springs on Nov. 20.
There were two sightings of a barred owl. Mariah Thornton was surprised to see one flying overhead along West Tisbury Road on Nov. 18 and Nancy Nordin heard and saw one from her West Tisbury home on Nov. 20.
More evening grosbeaks have been spotted. Debbie Emondi Brown saw one at her Vineyard Haven feeder on Nov. 18 and Jennifer Slossberg had one visiting a feeder along Beech Grove Road in Chilmark on Nov. 24.
The brown pelican has been around most of the time for the past three months. Tweed Roosevelt saw it at northern Lake Tashmoo across from Kuffies Point on Nov. 18, Shea Fee found it flying over the road from Lagoon Pond to Eastville Beach on Nov. 21, and the next day Connie Alexander reports it was “keeping me company as I walked along East Chop this morning, a nice surprise!”
Charles Morano made an unusual find by seeing all three mimic thrushes at one location — he found a catbird, a brown thrasher and two northern mockingbirds along the Herring Creek in Aquinnah on Nov. 18. This does not happen very often.
The birds we are seeing now really makes it seem like winter, and we finally had some cold and windy winterish weather. The most common ducks here are mallard, black duck, green-winged teal, American wigeon, ring-necked duck, greater scaup, bufflehead, common eider, black scoter, surf scoter, white-winged scoter, harlequin and red-breasted merganser. They are approaching winter population levels. Shea Fee spotted flocks of 100 white-winged scoter and 200 long-tailed ducks at Wasque Point on Nov. 18. I found the normal winter flock of 27 common eiders swimming and diving around and under the Oak Bluffs Steamship Authority pier on Nov. 23.
Gull flocks are also winterish, dominated by herring, ring-billed and great black-backed gulls. Less common but still regular are lesser black-backed gulls. Nancy Nordin found three at Chilmark Pond on Nov. 17 and Charles Morano located one and a laughing gull at Lobsterville on Nov. 18,. Shea Fee observed a laughing gull at Wasque Point on Nov. 18. There are multiple reports of the small Bonaparte’s gulls. Charles Morano watched 26 from the ferry on Nov. 19, Shea Fee discovered five at the drawbridge on Nov. 20 and Nancy Weaver and Shea Fee spotted 25 off East Chop on Nov. 24. Two species of grebes were sighted this week. Charles Morano saw two pied-billed grebe at South Beach State Park and on Nov. 18 Chris Scott found one at Crackatuxet Cove on Nov. 19. Charles Morano counted five horned grebes at Lobsterville on Nov. 18, a larger group than we normally see.
Great blue herons are scattered around. Charles Morano and Bob Shriber had one at Black Point Pond on Nov. 17, Nancy Weaver spotted two at the Oak Bluffs Pumping Station on Nov. 17, Charles Morano saw two at South Beach State Park on Nov. 18 and Chris Scott observed one at Crackatuxet Cove on Nov. 19. Nancy Weaver counted 30 black-crowned night-herons at the Oak Bluffs pumping station on Nov. 17.
Red-tailed hawks are abundant with six sightings this week with two at Black Point Pond, one at the Oak Bluffs pumping station, one at the Gay Head Cliffs, one at South Beach State Park, one at Wequobsque Road, two at Crystal Lake and one near the youth hostel.
Charles Morano saw one merlin at Lobsterville on Nov. 18. Bob Woodruff reports one eastern bluebird flying from one nest box to another in his West Tisbury pasture on Nov. 10, and he had a hermit thrush feeding on dried beach plum fruits on Nov. 18.
Charles Morano saw one hermit thrush at the Herring Creek in Aquinnah on Nov. 18 and Nancy Nordin found one in her yard on Nov. 24. Shea Fee adds three bluebirds at Peaked Hill that day. Warren Woessner observed a male ring-necked pheasant at the Farm Institute on Nov. 18.
And finally, yellow-rumped warblers are the most abundant warbler. On Nov. 17, Charles Morano and Bob Shriber spotted six at Black Point Pond and Nancy Nordin found eight at Chilmark Pond. Charles Morano saw two at Herring Creek in Aquinnah on Nov. 18 and Nancy Weaver saw three at Long Point on Nov.20. Charles Morano and Bob Shriber spotted one palm warbler on Nov. 17, Nancy Nordin saw two pine warblers at her home on Nov. 18
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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