The first singing American robins are eagerly anticipated every spring. Ten robins were loudly and continuously singing at my house on April 4, on a day where temperatures approached 70 degrees.
Penny Uhlendorf notes that robins were “serenading us first thing in the morning for the last few days, and even more were singing on April 4.” We agreed that they were migrants that had just arrived. Over the weekend I heard robins singing just about everywhere I went, including at least 40 singing between the Gay Head Cliffs and Moshup Beach. These birds may be heading further north, however, as I do not yet see them hopping around yards in pairs as our nesting robins will do.
The most recent migrants are barn swallows. Janet Woodcock and Nancy Weaver found one barn and eight tree swallows at the Hoft Farm on April 1. On April 2, Matt Pelikan observed a single barn swallow in a flock of about 20 tree swallows at nearby Duarte’s Pond. The trio of David Benvent, Claire Walter and Shawn Wallace found three barn and 15 tree swallows at the Hoft Farm April 2.
David Benvent discovered one brown thrasher at Great Rock Bight and he and Claire Walter observed another one at Cove Meadow, both on April 4. Bob Shriber spotted a vesper sparrow near the Aquinnah Circle on April 5, and later that afternoon Claire Walter and David Benvent also found it. The next day Bob Shriber, Luanne Johnson, Janet Woodcock and Nancy Weaver saw it.
On the waterbird front, David Benvent and Shawn Wallace discovered a Forster’s tern over Menemsha Pond on April 2. Alex Barnes and Nick D’Antonio observed two Bonaparte’s gulls at Vineyard Haven Harbor on April 5, and I found six northern gannets flying past the Gay Head Cliffs on April 6.
Some arriving migrants will stay here to nest.
American oystercatchers, piping plovers and the closely related killdeer are now fairly widespread across the Island. David Benvent and Claire Walter spotted three killdeer at Deep Bottom Cove on March 31. The next day they found five oystercatchers at State Beach, and on April 2 they added two oystercatchers at Quansoo and six more near Menemsha Pond.
Lisa Maxfield watched two oystercatchers at Brush Pond on April 1, Chris Scott located one piping plover at Long Point on April 2, and Shawn Wallace and David Benvent added six oystercatchers on Norton Point on April 3.
April 4 was a busy day. Ned Robinson Lynch saw two killdeer and one piping plover on West Chop Beach, Claire Walter and David Benvent watched six oystercatchers at Felix Neck, three more near Fuller Street Beach, and four more at Cove Meadow.
ancy Nordin observed two piping plovers from West Basin Road on April 5, and Tracy Winn found two oystercatchers and two piping plover on Lucy Vincent on April 6.
Great egrets are arriving too. On April 1, David Benvent and Claire Walter spotted one at State Beach and Lisa Maxfield saw one at Brush Pond. David Benvent and Shawn Wallace found one at Wades Field on April 2 and two more at Caleb’s Pond. Nancy Weaver and Janet Woodcock observed one at Sepiessa Point on April 3. The next day, Nancy Weaver watched one at the pumping station. On April 4 David Benvent and Claire Walter spotted one at Cove Meadow, another at North Neck and three on Cape Pogue. Sharon Simonin photographed one at Sunset Lake and another at Farm Pond on April 6.
Corvids are widespread and mostly year-round residents, especially American crows and blue jays. Common ravens are less common but they have started nesting. Last year they nested in Edgartown and Vineyard Haven though they were sighted across the Island.
These sghtings are from other towns: Luanne Johnson, Janet Woodcock and Nancy Weaver spotted one at Long Point on March 31, Thaw Malin found one near his West Tisbury home on April 2, David Benvent, Claire Walter and Shawn Wallace spotted two at the pumping station on April 2, and on April 5 they observed one on Cape Pogue and one at the Gay Head Cliffs.
Fish crows are less common but have nested in Oak Bluffs in past years. I saw three in Ocean Park on March 29 and 15 near Five Corners on April 5. Warren Woessner spotted one at the Edgartown Library on March 24, and Shawn Wallace spotted nine near Vineyard Haven Harbor on April 2.
Golden-crowned kinglets are amazingly abundant compared to their winter numbers. Seemingly wherever David Benvent, Claire Walter and Shawn Wallace went they found flocks of these kinglets: 10 at Deep Bottom Cove on April 1, 25 at the Hoft Farm on April 2, eight at Great Rock Bight on April 4, and 10 at Felix Neck on April 4.
Ruby-crowned kinglets are also lingering. On April 6, Bob Shriber spotted one in Aquinnah, and Nancy Weaver, Janet Woodcock and Luanne Johnson saw one near the Stone House in Aquinnah on April 6.
David Benvent, Claire Walter and Shawn Wallace found two lingering winter wrens at the Hoft Farm on April 2, and David Benvent watched one along Tea Lane on April 4.
Winter resident waterfowl are lingering too. I counted 145 brant in Ocean Park on March 29. David Benvent and Claire Walter found one shoveler, one pintail and 20 green-winged teal in Deep Bottom Cove on March 31. Janet Woodcock and Nancy Weaver spotted two pintail and 14 bufflehead at the Hoft Farm on April 1. David Benvent, Claire Walter and Shawn Wallace spotted three American wigeon and five greater scaup at the pumping station on April 2. David Benvent and Shawn Wallace observed 20 lesser scaup in Squinbnoclket Pond on April 2. And I spotted 36 ring-necked ducks at Duarte’s Pond on April 5.
Finally, Scott Stephens and Penny Uhlendorf told me about their most unusual sighting — a black-capped chickadee with a longer than usual beak whose upper and lower beaks cross more extremely than a crossbill’s beak! Their research shows it has avian keratin disorder, which makes feeding and preening rather difficult but not impossible — the bird survived the winter.
Please email your sightings to birds@vineyardgazette.com.
Robert Culbert is an ecological consultant living in Vineyard Haven
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