During the last year, this column documented a remarkable 284 species seen on the Vineyard. Each month approximately 100 species were reported; the highest total was 136 species in December. This week focuses on the seasonal progression of species, which changes by the month. Many common species (Canada goose, mute swan, mallard, wild turkey, herring gull, mourning dove, blue jay, black-capped chickadee and house sparrow) are often not reported because they are always common.

Some of the highlights recorded in 2024 include Pacific loon, western sandpiper, Thayer’s gull, ferruginous hawk, olive-sided flycatcher, fork-tailed flycatcher, Townsend’s warbler, prothonotary warbler and evening grosbeak. Notable missed species include black vulture, upland sandpiper, buff-breasted sandpiper, glaucous gull, Caspian tern, long-eared owl, northern shrike, Louisiana waterthrush and painted bunting.

I always welcome neighboring column’s comments about birds. In last week’s Vineyard Gardener column, Lynn asks about male turkey displays and their wild blue heads, which are part of their displays to show-off to the ladies how strong and virile they are. “Pick me, pick me,” the males are probably gobbling.

Fox sparrow. — Lanny McDowell

Lynn, please keep your birds comments coming, but not at the expense of your political commentary.

Here are five special sightings. Chris Scott found a flock of 12 horned larks at Katama Farm on Jan. 16, the same day that Rich Couse spotted one eastern phoebe at the Hoft Farm. The next day John Hoy saw a peregrine falcon at Lambert’s Cove Beach. A fox sparrow showed up under Patsy Donovan’s feeder on Jan 18; she describes it as “a very handsome bird!” And Nancy Nordin found a female purple finch at Squibnocket on Jan. 19.

Chris Scott observed a lingering great egret at Town Cove on Jan. 15. Given the freezing temperatures, how long will it be before this bird heads further south? It is more likely to stay through the winter are the multiple great blue herons and black-crowned night-herons.

Multiple observers report great blues: Nancy Nordin and Chris Scott watched one at Tashmoo Springs on Jan. 13, Nancy Weaver and Janet Woodcock found one at Sepiessa Point on Jan. 15 and another at the Herring Creek in Aquinnah on Jan. 16, Chris Scott observed one at Crackatuxet Cove on Jan. 16, Brenda Shepard had one at Menemsha Basin on Jan. 17, and Simma Rashba located one at Lake Tashmoo on Jan. 18.

Hermit thrush. — Lanny McDowell

Nancy Nordin, Bob Shriber, Janet Woodcock and Chris Scott each watched three black-crowned at Tash

moo Springs on Jan. 13. Bridget Dunnigan and Sea Williams saw probably the same three at Tashmoo Springs on Jan. 16, and Charles Morano spotted four at Lucy Vincent on Jan. 17. Four species of shorebirds are lingering. John Nelson saw two killdeer in the park next to Sunset Lake on both Jan. 14 and Jan. 18, Chris Scott found two killdeer at Town Cove on Jan. 15, and Bob Shriber located one killdeer and eight Wilson’s snipe at Town Cove the next day.

Jeff Bernier observed one ruddy turnstone at Little Beach on Jan. 17 and Charles Morano found another one at Sarson’s island on Jan. 19.

John Nelson watched a greater yellowlegs at Oak Bluffs Harbor on Jan. 18, and the three greater yellowlegs that have been hanging around the west arm of the Lagoon since early December were seen by Matt Pelikan on Jan. 19.

Yellow rumped warbler. — Lanny McDowell

Northern harriers are regularly found in Katama. Sea Williams and Bridget Dunnigan saw one on Jan. 14, as I did, and Chris Scott found two there on Jan. 16, while Matthew Born saw one at the other end of the island, at Clay Pit Road in Aquinnah on Jan. 18.

The lingering kestrel at Katama has been reported this week by Chris Scott on Jan. 16 and by John Nelson on Jan 18. The latter observer also found a dark merlin that day at Katama Farm. And Rich Couse spotted one barn owl at the Aquinnah Cultural Center on Jan. 13.

Fish crows appear to be rather scarce this winter. Bob Shriber saw one fish crow near Crystal Lake on Jan. 13 and I spotted a flock of about 50 fish crows as they flew over Five Corners.

Another corvid is the common raven. Chris Scott found one raven at Cove Meadow on Jan. 15, while Nancy Weaver and Janet Woodcock located one at Pilots Landing on Jan. 16.

Merlin. — Lanny McDowell

It is not easy to estimate how large the flocks of European starlings are, as they are almost constantly in motion. I estimated 250 were in a flock around the silos at Katama Farm on Jan. 15, while Matthew Born found a flock of 200 along State Road in Chilmark on Jan. 17.

Nancy Weaver and Janet Woodcock located five bluebirds at Wasque on Jan. 13, Lynn Buckmaster-Irwin still is seeing her flock of 18 along Indian Hill Road, Chris Scott found two at Wasque on Jan. 15, and Matthew Born discovered three bluebirds and 35 American robins along Clay Pit Road in Aquinnah on Jan. 18. These two species often flock together and stay until all the holly and juniper berries have been swallowed.

A few other sightings include Matthew Born’s sighting of one pine warbler and two yellow-rumped warblers along West Basin Road on Jan.17. Lanny McDowell spotted a redhead at Mud Creek on Jan. 18, and Allan Keith saw it the next day. On Jan. 19, Nelson Smith found the Barrows goldeneye at the drawbridge. Matt Pelikan located both the Eurasian wigeon and northern shoveler at Crystal Lake Jan. 19, and Janet Woodcock also saw the shoveler that day.

And finally, a big thank you is due to the Gazette for inviting all four contributors to the back page to their Jan. 14 Tuesdays in the Newsroom. And a big shout-out to the many who came to listen. Your smiling attentive faces and questions were most welcome.

Please email your sightings to birds@vineyardgazette.com.

More bird pictures.

Robert Culbert is an ecological consultant with Nature Watch living in Vineyard Haven.