Snowy owls again? Unprecedented. For the third straight year snowy owls are again moving south in large numbers. As of yet, though, there have been no sightings on the Vineyard this fall. The closest sighting is of one individual that was photographed in Wellfleet on Oct. 28. In October, more than 50 of these owls were sighted in the western Great Lakes states with another 20 sightings in Canada near the St. Lawrence seaway.
A comparison of the number of sightings of snowy owls nationwide in the past three Octobers is intriguing. Very few snowies were seen in October, 2013, although the 2013-2014 winter was a record year for sightings. Almost 20 snowies were reported in October, 2014 but their winter numbers were considerably lower than in the previous winter. More snowies (70) have been observed nationwide this fall, but that does not mean that we will have more of them in our region this winter.
Locally, the Vineyard hosted at least 25 of these magnificent owls in the winter of 2013-2014, while last winter we “only” had three to five of them; three of which were frequently found at Katama and Norton Point Beach throughout the winter. To have so many of them here for so long is unprecedented. In many winters we may not see any snowy owls at all, and in other winters we may have one or two snowies stay here for a day or two, or a week if we are lucky.
Where can we expect to see a snowy owl? When it first arrives it may be anywhere. I can recall sightings on television antennas (remember them?) and rooftops at inland locations around the Island. Once they get their bearings here, they move to large open areas like airports and beaches. Once here, these large owls are active in the daytime, making them an easier owl to find and see.
Will we have any snowy owl sightings this winter? Rest assured that we will let you know if and when they appear.
Bird Sightings
Mike Zoll found a sanderling at Hart-haven on Nov. 2 that had two bands on its legs, a green plastic band on its left leg and the usual metal band on its right leg. Because he was able to read the lettering on one of the bands, we know that the bird was banded in New Jersey last May. Please keep your eye out for these banded birds and record the letter and number combinations if you can. This information enables us to identify a particular individual, and each re-sighting teaches us more about their distribution and survival rates. Only a small percentage of banded birds are ever re-sighted.
Simon Hickman spotted another owl species that was once common throughout the year, as recently as the 1970s. Now it is a scarce winter resident on the Vineyard. It is the short-eared owl, and the bird dive-bombed and squealed at him at dusk near Black Point Pond on Nov. 3.
Allan Keith has been out birding quite a bit recently. On Nov. 3, he found a late rose-breasted grosbeak at the Gay Head Cliffs, in addition to both orange-crowned and palm warblers. At the Gay Head moraine he added hermit thrush and blue-headed vireo, while at Squibnocket he added the first lesser scaup and the first horned grebe of the season as well as white-throated sparrow, dark-eyed junco, Baltimore oriole, and a large flock of 5,000 scoters way out in the ocean.
On Nov. 4, he found a late warbling vireo at the cliffs in Aquinnah. This may be the first state record of this species in November. He also found a red-breasted nuthatch and both ruby and golden-crowned kinglets at the cliffs, while at Menemsha Hills there were five hermit thrushes, blue-headed vireo, brown creeper, winter wren and a blackpoll warbler.
Also on Nov. 4, Mr. Keith joined Bob Shriber and Sean Williams at Squibnocket, where they found two firsts for the season — a yellow-breasted chat and one bohemian waxwing within a flock of the more common cedar waxwings. Their other highlights included snow buntings, American pipits, common yellowthroat, white-crowned sparrow, bufflehead, harlequins, eight hooded mergansers and a late spotted sandpiper.
Speaking of Aquinnah, Susan McCoy reports a peregrine falcon and a red-tailed hawk were hunting along the cliffs nest to Moshup Beach on Nov. 4.
Happy Spongberg reports that on Nov. 8 a hermit thrush was actively bathing in their stone bird bath, with lots of splashing, shaking and preening. She also reports a huge red-tailed hawk being harassed by a blue jay, which is normally a noisy confrontation. This jay, however, was absolutely silent as it hopped from branch to branch all around the hawk. Strange.
Olsen Houghton observed northern gannets in the waters off the Gay Head Cliffs on Nov. 7. The next day, Lanny McDowell found a steady stream of mostly adult gannets heading to the northwest around the cliffs.
Last but not least, Jeff Bernier found a flock of wood ducks in one of the ponds at Cranberry Acres on Oct. 8. This species is a lot less common than it used to be, so finding them is always a treat.
There are lots of birds around, so please get out looking for them, and be sure to report your bird sightings to birds@mvgazette.com.
Robert Culbert leads Saturday morning guided birding tours and is an ecological consultant living in Vineyard Haven.
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