The recent obituary for Norm Asher reminded me of what bird-watching was like in the 1970s. Norm Asher was one of many Vineyard summer residents that were “turned on” to bird watching by the Chilmark Community Center bird walks. Norm signed on to participate in the CCC bird walks in the early sixties when Eddie Chalif was the charismatic leader. I didn’t join in until the very late sixties, early seventies. By that time there was a devoted group of friends and fellow bird-watchers that had met at the community center who would go out almost daily.

At Thanksgiving, I want to extend my thanks to the people who have made an effort to save or create the Vineyard habitats. Without the open spaces, marshes, meadows and woodlands, there would be no place for my favorite creatures, birds.

Little Tin Horn is the name that Eric Cottle gave the bird that seems to be gracing everyone’s feeders this season. Nothing sounds more like those penny whistle tin horns than the red nuts — (the name bird-watchers give the red-breasted nuthatches).

Beetlebung Corner is really the center of Chilmark. The library, the school, the community center, the town hall, two banks, a restaurant, a general store, a real estate office and the post office are all within a few steps. This is all well and good for humans. However, for the birds Beetlebung Farm, which provides fresh vegetables and flowers in the summer, is their main attraction. By now the vegetables have been harvested and most of the flowers gone. Luckily there are still a few hardy nasturtiums blooming and a very late visitor arrived on Nov. 2 to enjoy the nectar of these nasturtiums. Marie Scott and Suzie Bunker, both daughters of Ozzie and Rena Fischer, spotted the hummingbird and alerted their father and their brother, Bert.

Somehow, birds that should not be here sometimes are here. According to the books these birds should be found far away. Then one shows up. The birds, as birders like to comment on occasion, do not read the books.

The bird sightings for the Island are confirming the prediction that there will be many winter finches flying south this fall/winter. Allan Keith shared with me a winter finch forecast for 2010-2011 which explains about the key crops that affect the finch movement. If white spruce, white pine, hemlock, mountain ash and white birch have poor seed production the finches will head south to find more feed.