How late in the year will birds continue to sing? Eastern wood pewees are still occasionally singing across the Island, with 13 sightings (mostly by ear?) this past week: Felix Neck (early birders, four, August 27), Presbury-Norton Preserve (Helena Firlings, one, August 27), Hoft Farm (Kyleigh Miklos, one, August 23), Polly Hill Arboretum (David Meadows and Emily Diamond, two, August 26), Cedar Tree Neck (me, three, August 29), North Road (David Benvent, one, August 23), Great Rock Bight (Jennifer Slossberg, two, August 23), Middle Line Woods (Jennifer Slossberg, one, August 24), Middle Road Sanctuary (Emily Diamond and David Meadows, one, August 28), Waskosim’s Rock Reservation (Helena Firlings, one, August 28, near Lighthouse Road (David Benvent, one, August 25), Squibnocket Pond Reservation South (me, one, August 26), and Aquinnah (Bob Shriber, two, August 26).
Red-eyed vireos are also singing sporadically: Felix Neck (David Benvent, one, August 25, and Steve Allen, one, August 26), Middle Line Woods (Jennifer Slossberg, one, August 24), Polly Hill Arboretum (David Meadows and Emily Diamond, three, August 26), Cedar Tree Neck (me, two, August 29), Middle Road Sanctuary (David Meadows and Emily Diamond, one, August 28), near Lighthouse Road (David Benvent , two, August 25), Clay Pit Road (David Benvent, one, August 25), Squibnocket Pond Reservation South (me, one, August 26), and Aquinnah (Bob Shriber and David Benvent, five, August 26).
I have also noted the scarcity of singing Carolina wrens – their song is loud and easy to hear, usually into December. Are they less common due to the harsh winter snow and cold last winter?
Two firsts for the season were reported this week. David Benvent visited Felix Neck on August 25 and spotted a least flycatcher, and both Bob Shriber and David Benvent discovered one eastern warbling vireo in Aquinnah the next day.
There were 16 early birders at Felix Neck on August 27, and they observed 32 species, including two lesser yellowlegs, four greater yellowlegs, one eastern phoebe and five great-crested flycatchers. Later that day, Fleur Ng’weno and Monica Brady-Myerov found one of those great cresteds at Felix Neck.
Warblers will take a more prominent role in this column as their southbound migration increases through September. The warbler of the week is the northern waterthrush. David Benvent had multiple sightings, one at Dogfish Bar on August 23, another at Pond Road in West Tisbury on August 24, one at the Gay Head Cliffs on August 25, and three waterthrushes, 17 prairie warblers and three Cape May warblers at the Gay Head Cliffs the next day.
On August 27, John Nelson had a waterthrush in Harthaven. An unusually high number of pine warblers (15) were observed by Steve Allen tally at Felix Neck on August 26.
David Benvent counted 17 purple martins and 85 barn swallows at the Gay Head Cliffs on August 25, but only one martin sped past me at the Gay Head Lighthouse on August 30.
Jennifer Slossberg spotted one scarlet tanager at Middle Line Woods on August 24. David Benvent and Nancy Weaver observed two blue-gray gnatcatchers and 377 cedar waxwings — with many large flocks — at the Gay Head Cliffs on August 26, and Helena Firlings found two brown creepers at the Presbury-Norton Preserve on August 27.
Great blue herons are around. On Aug. 23, David Benvent observed one at Pond Road in West Tisbury, Megan Zambito located one at Eel Pond and David Benvent had one at Crackatuxet Cove. Kristen Kanders saw one at Cove Meadow Preserve on August 24, David Meadows and Emily Diamond spotted one at Felix Neck on August 24, and the early birders counted two at Felix Neck on August 27.
Janet Woodcock and Nancy Weaver observed two black-crowned night-herons and counted 30 great egrets on Edy’s island on August 24, David Benvent found a lingering yellow-crowned night-heron and 14 great egrets at Felix Neck on August 25, and Dahlia Rudavsky and Bob Jampol watched 11 great egrets in the marshes at the Caroline Tuthill Preserve on August 30.
Terns are still around, with common and roseate terns most common, but Warren Woessner and Allan Keith spotted a Forster’s tern on Norton Point on August 20, and Philip Edmundson had one along West Tisbury’s South Shore on August 26.
Guy and Susan Babineau found one black skimmer on Norton Point on August 23, the same day that Janet Woodcock and Nancy Weaver counted 17 skimmers there. These two intrepid birders also observed four least terns at Menemsha Pond on August 24, and Charles Morano watched one black tern at North Neck on August 27.
A wide variety of shorebirds are still around, sometimes in large numbers. The most unusual sighting is from Charles Morano, who spotted two long-billed dowitchers and one western sandpiper on Cape Pogue on August 27. Dahlia Rudavsky and Bob Jampol counted 52 yellowlegs in the marshes by the Ocean Heights town landing on August 28 — most were greaters, but some were lessers.
Semipalmated plovers and semipalmated sandpipers are widespread. By the way, semipalmated refers to the partial webbing between their toes, which is not a useful field mark unless the bird is in your hand. Norton Point is the best place to find large flocks of both semipalmated species.
On August 23, Guy and Susan Babineau found 100 plovers, Janet Woodcock and Nancy Weaver counted 97 plovers and 11 sandpipers, and David Benvent saw 75 plovers and three sandpipers there on August 24. These two species can be found elsewhere too. David Benvent spotted 25 plovers at Red Beach on August 23, and Janet Woodcock and Nancy Weaver observed 31 plovers and 11 sandpipers on Menemsha Pond on August 24. Smaller numbers were reported from Little Beach, West Tisbury’s south shore, Chilmark Pond, Squibnocket Beach, Lobsterville Beach and the Gay Head Cliffs.
One final note, other species that can be found at this time of the year are buff-breasted sandpipers, American golden plovers, common nighthawks and yellow-headed blackbirds. Where are they?
Please email your sightings to [email protected].
Robert Culbert is an ecological consultant living in Vineyard Haven.
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