Young predators face daunting odds against making it through their first winter. A smart young peregrine falcon is hanging out at the Big Bridge.

Crows are supposedly year-round residents in most of their range, but we have crows that migrate to Martha’s Vineyard for the winter.

Most of the spotted sandpipers are now well south of the Vineyard, as their migration peaks in August and September.

We saw these species last winter or last spring, so they are not new sightings for the year.

If you think sandpipers and sparrows are difficult to identify, you have not tried hummingbirds.

Nelson’s sparrows are one of the smallest and most secretive sparrows.

The shorebird nesting season is long over and most of the nesting species are long gone to their more southern non-breeding season homes.

For a number of weeks this column has detailed two completely unexpected species: one white pelican and two common ravens.

There were only two pairs of osprey nesting on Martha’s Vineyard in 1970. This year there were 89 breeding pairs.

I frequently take my bird tours to the headquarters of the State Forest. The sighting of two ravens on Sept. 2 tops the list.