Allan Keith found a cattle egret in the fields at the Grey Barn on May 20. Ken Magnuson and Jeff Bernier also got to see it, and the former got a picture of it perched on the back of a cow, which is a typical behavior for them even in their native Africa. The two also spotted three willow flycatchers at Squibnocket that day, and blue-headed vireo and blackpolls along the North Shore.
Roseate terns are back. This species seems to be a little slow in arriving, weeks after the other terns arrived. Lanny McDowell observed one from the Oak Bluffs Steamship Authority wharf on May 19, while Jeff Bernier discovered two pairs of roseate terns on Norton Point on May 21.
Luanne Johnson notes the return of the saltmarsh sparrow, a generally silent and very secretive breeder in a number of down-Island salt marshes. If you see a sparrow fly into the middle of a salt marsh and then disappear, it is likely this species. She saw this species in a salt marsh near Pecoy Point on May 21. Amongst other species, there were also three semipalmated plovers along the Sengekontacket Pond shoreline. This is another new species for the year, although it is a transient on its way north to its breeding grounds in the Arctic.
Eastern wood pewees have arrived as of May 17, sighted by both Luanne Johnson in Vineyard Haven and another that day by Lanny McDowell at Menemsha Hills. They are one of the species that sing their name, making their identification easier if you hear them.
Mr. Magnuson found a bobolink in the fields at the Farm Institute on May 19. This grassland specialist is likely a migrant although they have occasionally tried to nest in various locations around the Island. We shall see if it sticks around.
Other Sightings
The glossy ibis that was first observed at the Edgartown Golf Club on May 15 was seen again on May 21, this time by Jeff Bernier.
Vasha Brunelle reports the first American oystercatcher chicks of the year. On May 19 there were two chicks on Ferryboat Island in the lagoon next to Tisbury Marketplace, and three more chicks from a nest near the drawbridge. Remember that we share our coastline and beaches with this species, piping plovers, willets and terns. Please be considerate and stay out of posted areas, and let us know if you see any of these species that are not in posted areas.
Lucy Cassels reports the first ruddy turnstones of the season. There were five of them along the Felix Neck shoreline on May 20. She also observed two willets and a late red-breasted merganser.
In last week’s column I mentioned that one of the most interesting sightings during Felix Neck’s Birdathon on May 12 and 13 was an adult male hooded warbler, observed by Lanny McDowell, Luanne Johnson, Allan Keith and Ken Magnuson. What I neglected to mention was that on May 10 Elizabeth Greene found a stunned female hooded warbler on Old County Road near the West Tisbury School. She rescued the bird, put it in a box for recovery, and 20 minutes later the bird flew away.
Speaking of not mentioning birds in last week’s column, John Nelson spotted a Kentucky warbler in the Harthaven woods in mid-May. Unfortunately, he was the only one to see this unusual southern species, and a sighting needs to have two observers or a photograph. So this sighting will be on the hypothetical list. Such are the perils of birding by ourselves and without a camera.
Isaac Taylor observed an osprey perched on a post eating a fish, with a ring-necked pheasant nearby. Now that is an odd couple.
Michael Blanchard photographed a bank swallow perched at the edge of its burrow in the coastal bank at Menemsha Hills on May 21. This confirms them as a breeding species, and documents the beginning of the breeding season, which lasts into July and August. Along those lines, Wendy Palmer photographed young robin nestlings on May 21, Sioux Eagle found a black-capped chickadee nest with four eggs, and Lanny McDowell found a fledgling Carolina wren at the Oak Bluffs Pumping Station on May 19.
Here is the list of the 110 species that were recorded on Felix Neck’s bird-a-thon, which was held on May 12-13: brant, Canada goose, mute swan, wood duck, gadwall, American black duck, mallard, common eider, harlequin duck, surf scoter, white-winged scoter, black scoter, red-breasted merganser, wild turkey, red-throated loon, common loon, red-necked grebe, northern gannet, double-crested cormorant, great cormorant, American bittern, great blue heron, great egret, green-backed heron, black-crowned night-heron.
Turkey vulture, osprey, northern harrier, sharp-shinned hawk, Cooper’s hawk, red-tailed hawk, black-bellied plover, piping plover, killdeer, American oystercatcher, greater yellowlegs, eastern willet, ruddy turnstone, sanderling, semipalmated sandpiper, least sandpiper, dunlin, ring-billed gull, herring gull, lesser black-backed gull, great black-backed gull, least tern, common tern, black skimmer, jaeger, rock pigeon, mourning dove, barn owl, eastern screech owl, chimney swift, ruby-throated hummingbird, belted kingfisher, red-bellied woodpecker, downy woodpecker, hairy woodpecker, northern flicker, great crested flycatcher.
Eastern kingbird, red-eyed vireo, blue jay, American crow, tree swallow, northern rough-winged swallow, bank swallow, barn swallow, black-capped chickadee, tufted titmouse, red-breasted nuthatch, white-breasted nuthatch, Carolina wren, eastern bluebird, hermit thrush, wood thrush, American robin, gray catbird, northern mockingbird, European starling, cedar waxwing, ovenbird, blue-winged warbler, black-and-white warbler, common yellowthroat, hooded warbler, American redstart, northern parula, yellow warbler, black-throated blue warbler, pine warbler, prairie warbler.
Eastern towhee, chipping sparrow, savannah sparrow, song sparrow, white-throated sparrow, dark-eyed junco, scarlet tanager, northern cardinal, rose-breasted grosbeak, indigo bunting, red-winged blackbird, common grackle, brown-headed cowbird, Baltimore oriole, house finch, American goldfinch, house sparrow.
The spring northward migration is in full swing. Please keep us up-to-date by reporting your 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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