Jaegers are a group of three large stocky seabirds that are infrequently seen from shore and can be extremely difficult to identify.
Parasitic Jaeger
Parasitic Jaeger
Jaegers are a group of three large stocky seabirds that are infrequently seen from shore and can be extremely difficult to identify. There are light and dark morphs and of course there are adult and immatures that look very different. All three species spend much of the year patrolling the open ocean, chasing other seabirds until they drop the food they are carrying. The jaeger then snatches and consumes their stolen food.
A parasitic jaeger is the one that is most frequently observed from our shores. Chris Scott spotted a dark morph juvenile parasitic jaeger near the Chappaquiddick Beach Club on July 6. He got “a close look at the bird as it came in from offshore and flew almost overhead, it was dark brown overall with light primaries on the undersides of the wings. It was being seriously harassed by six mature American Herring Gulls which made a big commotion.”
Scarlet Tanager
Scarlet Tanager
Also, in news of predators, Austin Olesky saw and photographed a merlin in downtown Vineyard Haven on July 3. This is only the second sighting of this species since the winter (David Benvent spotted one at Squibnocket Pond on June 12). In recent years this species had nested on Chappaquiddick, but I have not received any reports for this year.
Barn owls are common even though there were only four June sightings: Long Point, Abels Hill Cemetery, near the Allen Farm and Felix Neck (check out the owl camera at their website).
Shawn Wallace found a northern harrier at Katama Farm on July 4. The next day Lanny McDowell spotted a male in Edgartown, and Jillayne Wheeler found two barn owls at Thimble Farm. Philip Edmundson observed one along the South Shore of West Tisbury on July 6.
Common Tern
Common Tern
Turkey vultures (scavengers rather than predators) are widespread. On July 2, Seth Buddy spotted one at the Lambert’s Cove Cemetery and another at the Cranberry Acres bog, and Paul Messing found two in downtown Vineyard Haven on July 4.
The next day, Will Sweet observed one along the Vineyard Haven Harbor on July 5, the same day that Chris Scott located one at Bold Meadow and another at Polly Hill Arboretum, and Shawn Wallace found one at Katama Farm.
Terns are busy raising their young. Black skimmers nest in Edgartown and have been reported from West Chop (Seth Buddy, June 30) to Tisbury Great Pond (Alexander Skaburskis, June 30). Charles Morano found a lot of terns — 190 least terns, 400 common terns, and eight roseate terns along the south shore of Edgartown on July 5, including some fledglings.
Eastern Towhee
Eastern Towhee
Eastern towhees are the unofficial Island bird — they seem to be abundant in all woodlands and shrubby areas. There were 23 different locations where towhees were spotted between July 1 and July 6. They are still busy singing too. They are making sure we all “drink your teeeee!”
The numbers make it sound like northern cardinals are less common but that is questionable. In the first six days of July, they were spotted at “only” 16 sites! Also, that line of thinking makes red-eyed vireos (one of our most common and vocal woodland summer resident species) even less common with just 11 reports in July across the Island. Ahh, the difficulties of making conclusions from short-term samples.
Scarlet tanagers always impress the finder. Iya Labunka spotted a male scarlet tanager in the woodlands of Seven Gates Farm on July 1, and the next day Jennifer Slossberg found one on the new trail between Christiantown Road and Cedar Tree Neck.
Yellow-billed cuckoos seem to be more abundant this year. There was only one report in June 2024 and seven reports in June 2025. And there are three reports this week. Philip Edmundson observed one in the Watcha Pond woodlands on June 30, Jennifer Sepanara located two of them at Cedar Tree Neck July 2, the same day that Jennifer Slossberg discovered one near Middle Line Road. It is probably best to say that the cuckoos announced their presence with their loud distinctive chant.
Corvids are in the news. There were seven raven sightings in June, including observations of fledglings in Vineyard Haven. So far in July there are no sightings (it is still early in the month).
Roseate Tern
Roseate Tern
There were 64 reports of American crows in June and 24 reports in July (only one in Chilmark and none in Aquinnah). Smaller in stature are fish crows, with 16 reports in June and six reports in July so far.
The July fish crow reports come from Caroline Heald in Chappaquonsett on July 1, Cynthia Bloomquist in West Tisbury on July 4, the same day Megan Miller in Ocean Park, the next day both Charles Moran and Shawn Wallace from Norton Point, and Kristin Kanders from Wasque on July 6.
Northernn Harrier
Northernn Harrier
It is not really news that white-breasted nuthatches are more common than are red-breasted nuthatches. There are eight reports of the white nuts (what birders call them) in July from every town but Aquinnah. Sea Williams had the only report of red nuts, in the State Forest near the frisbee golf course on July 4.
The lingering horned grebe is still present in Eel Pond. Jeff Bernier found it on July 3 and Warren Woessner located it on July 5 (it has so far still eluded me).
Parasitic Jaeger
Parasitic Jaeger
Also lingering are common loons. I spotted one at Eel Pond on June 30, Caroline Heald located one at Chappaquonsett on July 1, and Seth Buddy observed one from the Mink Meadows/West Chop beach on July 2. A lingering common loon is much more expected than is the horned grebe.
Please email your sightings to [email protected].
Robert Culbert is an ecological consultant living in Vineyard Haven.
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