The most unusual bird this week was the black-headed gull spotted by Jeff Bernier at the western end of Mattakessett Bay on Jan. 11. We find this species almost every year, often mixed into a flock of the slightly smaller Bonaparte’s gull that it so closely resembles. Careful observations are necessary to identify the black-headed gull, which, of course, does not have a black head at this time of the year. The most important field marks for this species are its small dark patch behind the eye (all that is left of its breeding season black head), its black, gray and white wing pattern, and perhaps most importantly, its reddish bill with a black tip. You will likely miss this species unless you look carefully at each of the Bonaparte’s gulls in the flock.
Bird Sightings
On Jan. 15, Eleanor and David Stanwood had a flock of eastern bluebirds visit their yard. The bluebirds were visiting the bird bath as well as feeding on berries of the invasive multiflora rose bushes. Lanny McDowell photographed them and comments: “I’d say it’s worth a little summertime swearing at the wild roses, to have this wintertime scene now.”
Both Lisa Maxfield and Sue Shea observed flocks of cedar waxwings in their yards, although they did not stay long in either case. Also that day, Sharon Simonin observed a peregrine falcon perched on a piling in Oak Bluffs Harbor.
As of Jan. 14, the Indian Hill Road indigo bunting is still coming to the same bird feeder. It has been there since Jan. 6. Almost all of the other sightings of these buntings in the northeast were in the first half of December, except for Nantucket’s New Year’s Day sighting and a Dec. 31 sighting in Lunenburg, Nova Scotia. Our bunting has more patches of blue and so is the third unusually late lingerer.
Jeff Bernier spotted the other lingering rarity, the Ross’ goose, on Jan. 14. It has been hanging out with a flock of Canada geese, and may be just about anywhere in Katama. Because there are also snow geese around, and both species are mostly all white with black wingtips, it is dangerous to identify the Ross’s only by its smaller size. The structure of its bill is also important.
A flock of about 200 fish crows flew overhead toward the northeast as I was driving past the high school at 3:15 p.m. on Jan. 14. They were undoubtedly travelling to their nocturnal roost, which must be somewhere near Lagoon Pond since the downtown Vineyard Haven fish crows head southeast past the scallop shack at the foot of Skiff avenue. The roost must be somewhere in between. Please let me know if you know where their roost is (they can be quite noisy — a nasal cah-cah — as they gather at their roost site).
On Jan. 10, Ruth Richards visited Long Point and found the snowy owl as well as two common mergansers. She also observed black ducks, mallard, surf scoter, white-winged scoter, long-tailed duck, bufflehead, common goldeneye, hooded merganser, red-breasted merganser and a herring gull.
Ruth Kirchmeier identified a female yellow-bellied sapsucker, with a red patch atop her head. It has been visiting her feeders since Jan. 7.
On a Jan. 7 trip to State Beach, Jim Suozzo and Ann Ellery found both the snowy owl and the peregrine falcon.
Also on Jan. 7, Emma Johnson visited Red Beach on Menemsha Pond and observed 10 brant, Canada goose, mute swan, common eider, hooded merganser, red-breasted merganser, red-throated loon, common loon, northern harrier, sanderling, dunlin, Bonaparte’s gull, herring gull and great black-backed gull.
Gary Mirando reports a female golden-crowned kinglet shows up at his feeders nearly every evening around 4 p.m. This individual is so tame that he can walk past the feeders barely a few yards from her and she pretty much ignores him — unusual views of a species that is normally high up in the tops of evergreens.
Our many winter residents are here; please report your sightings in this new year to birds@mvgazette.com.
Robert Culbert is an ecological consultant living in Vineyard Haven.
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