Yellow seems to be the color of the week, with two reports of unusual yellow birds.

On Monday I got an e-mail from Sue Hruby, reporting a yellowish bird bigger than a tufted titmouse that showed up at her West Tisbury feeder early on April 26. She correctly identified the bird as a western tanager, noting that the red was clearly visible, but not bright. She also took some photos of the bird, so it was easy to confirm the identification.

Others have seen this rare visitor as well. On Sunday, April 25, the tanager was on the opposite shore of Look’s Pond, visiting Richard Burt’s feeders. Whit Manter was called and got to see it.

According to Susan Whiting and Barbara Pesch’s book, Vineyard Birds II, a western tanager is a rare transient, having been reported only 14 times previously. This is only the second spring sighting (Eleanor Waldron observed one on May 26, 1986). Sightings at this time of the year are probably of individuals that arrived in the late fall and survived the winter.

A Web site called eBird (check it out at http://ebird.org/ebird/GuideMe?cmd=quickPick) has some fascinating information about sightings of western tanagers in Massachusetts. Since 1970 there have been 35 sightings during the year, mostly near the coast from mid-December to mid-February, but others in late March or the first half of November. While this is not a complete record of sightings in Massachusetts (none of the Vineyard sightings are included), none of their 35 sightings was in the spring.

Jean Crocker reported the second unusual yellow bird on April 18. She observed and photographed a bright yellow bird at her feeder. This individual is a canary, which is widely bred in captivity and is native in the Canary Islands, Azores and Madeira in the eastern Atlantic Ocean. I called Gus Ben David and he reported that a canary had escaped from his World of Reptiles and Birds a few days before that. It will be interesting to see if this bird returns home, which may happen if it wanders back close enough to hear the other canaries singing.

At first, I mistakenly thought that the canary was another sighting of the saffron finch — another escapee from captivity — that Bob Shriber, Whit Manter and Lanny McDowell first observed last Oct. 5 at the Manter Farm, and which was observed again (probably the same individual) on Feb. 4 at Bob Green’s feeders at Watcha Path. These sightings show that we need to pay attention to odd-looking yellow birds, as they may be wild like the tanager or escapees like the canary and saffron finch.

Bird Sightings

Really we should pay attention to all birds, whether they are yellow or not. Especially at this time of year, when so many species are migrating back to their nesting grounds.

A number of people report first sightings of species that nest on the Vineyard. I observed a snowy egret on April 15, actively feeding in the salt marsh near Maciel Marine. Rob and Paula Evans report a black-and-white warbler at their feeder near Waskosim’s Rock Reservation on April 21. Judy Hathaway wins the prize with the first report of a ruby-throated hummingbird at her feeder on the afternoon of April 21. Tara Whiting reports that barn swallows returned to Quenames on April 22. Happy and Steve Spongberg report their first Baltimore oriole of the year, singing brightly on April 24. And Suzan Bellincampi reports a brown thrasher at Felix Neck’s feeders on April 26. Of course, this is just the beginning of the list of returning residents, which will get much longer in the next few weeks.

And of course there are plenty of sightings of migrants that do not nest here as well.

Foremost among these is Happy Spongberg’s April 26 sighting of a broad-winged hawk. She got a careful look at this hawk as it perched in a tree next to her driveway, and then watched it as it flew off. This is an uncommon sighting on the Vineyard, but it is right on schedule, as they are usually reported between late April and June.

Eloise Ball reports a female rose-breasted grosbeak at her feeder in Chilmark on April 22.

Eleanor Waldron reports an upland sandpiper at Hancock Meadow in Chilmark on April 22, a nice sighting for Earth Day! She also spotted a yellow-crowned night-heron at Wade’s Cove, which Whit Manter observed on April 23.

Whit Manter had an impressive week for sighting birds. He had a lesser black-backed gull and a peregrine falcon on South Beach off Tisbury Great Pond on April 22. The next day he observed an adult bald eagle harrassing and stealing a fish from an osprey near his house on Tisbury Great Pond. Our national symbol is well known for this less-than-friendly behavior, but to actually observe it is fun.

On April 24, Padding Gould carefully observed not one, but two peregrine falcons cruising past her at Thimble Farm. From her description, they were adult birds. In the wishful thinking department, we need to see if these birds stick around; maybe they will eventually nest here as their population continues to recover from the effects of DDT!

And Albert Fischer reports his first greater yellowlegs at Squibnocket Pond on April 26. He also reports that the first baby Canada geese have hatched.

Finally, Gus Ben David asks that everyone be vigilant and watch for ospreys building nests on power lines. If you see their stick nests on a power line, call Gus immediately so he can take action to prevent both their electrocution and/or the power outages they can cause.

And, as always, but especially at this time of the year during spring migration, please report your sightings by calling the birding hotline at 508-627-4922, or by e-mailing birds@mvgazette.com. We can not report them here if you do not call them in.

Robert Culbert leads guided birding tours and is an ecological consultant living in Vineyard Haven.