Have you noticed a decrease of birds at your feeders this fall? Or maybe a complete absence of birds?
Have you noticed a decrease of birds at your feeders this fall? Or maybe a complete absence of birds? John Nelson reports that his suet and thistle feeders has been virtually untouched since Oct. 1. A flock of birds finally showed up on Nov 21: six yellow-rumped warblers, three black-capped chickadees, two white breasted nuthatches and two downy woodpeckers. Unfortunately, they only stayed for 15 minutes.
Last winter I we had a flock of 20 to 25 house finches that just showed up after two months of putting seed out. Please email me if you have also noticed a shortage of birds that are usually present at your feeders.
Black-headed gull
Black-headed gull
Grasshopper sparrows are normally denizens of grasslands, but Tony Lima spotted one on the side of Moshup Trail, in the woods near the entrance to Squibnocket Pond Reservation South on Nov. 19. While that is an unusual location to find one, remember that it is still the season for southbound migrants, when they are more likely to show up in unexpected places.
Black-headed gulls showed up recently, after an absence since last spring. Bob Shriber spotted one along West Basin Road on Oct. 29, and Charles Morano discovered one within a flock of 56 of the very similar Bonaparte’s gulls in Vineyard Sound on Nov. 20.
Several lingering birds were seen this week. Ray Ewing saw the western cattle egret at Katama Farm on Nov. 15. Hatsy Potter discovered two at Wasque Farm on Nov. 16, and Albert Fischer reports one in a field across from the Chilmark Church on Nov. 19. They could well be the same three birds we have been seeing, just a new location.
Hairy woodpecker.
Hairy woodpecker.
Charles Morano located the cackling goose in a field along Green House Lane in Chilmark on Nov. 17. Jeff Bernier discovered the marbled godwit with other shorebirds on Norton Point on Nov. 20, and Luanne Johnson found it again with a flock of black-bellied plovers at Katama Farm on Nov. 23.
In other shorebird news, Charles Morano spotted an unexpected red knot along with 22 sanderling, 46 dunlin and the lingering Baird’s and white-rumped sandpipers on the Tisbury Great Pond shoreline on Nov. 17. Bob Shriber saw the Baird’s and the red knot there, along with 44 sanderling and 53 dunlins on Nov. 19.
Nancy Weaver and Janet Woodcock observed an American oystercatcher at Squibnocket Pond Reservation North on Nov. 17.
Three Mandarin ducks have been seen at Sweetened Water Preserve this week — Jeff Bernier, Charles Morano and Chris Scott on Nov. 18; Nancy Weaver, Ruth Richards and Jay Adams saw them the next day; and Janet Woodcock found them on Nov. 20. This species is native in Japan and eastern Asia. These likely escaped from a collection somewhere.
Red knot.
Red knot.
In other waterfowl news, Charles Morano counted 122 American black ducks at Long Point on Nov. 17, Bob Shriber found 120 greater scaup, 15 hooded mergansers, 22 red-breasted mergansers and 15 ruddy ducks from Squibnocket Beach on Nov. 17. Then on Nov. 19 he located 150 greater scaup.
Connie Alexander spotted many brant in Crystal Lake on Nov. 21, but the most likely place to see this small goose is in Ocean Park, where I counted 173 of them grazing the grass on Nov. 8.
Squibnocket Beach is the place to see grebes. Bob Shriber saw five horned grebes on Nov. 17, and Nancy Weaver and Janet Woodcock found the same number on Nov. 21. I found one red-necked grebe in almost full breeding plumage — a striking plumage that we do not see very often – there on Nov. 18. Northern gannets are more widespread. Bob Shriber spotted eight from Squibnocket Beach on Nov. 17, and I found 15 gannets there, well offshore the next day. Shea Fee observed three gannets from Wasque Reservation on Nov. 18, Charles Morano watched one gannet in Vineyard Sound on Nov. 20, and Margaret Curtin had one flying past the Right Fork on Nov. 21.
Bob Shriber spotted a non-oceanic grebe (a pied-billed grebe) in the upper reaches of Chilmark Pond’s Wades Cove on Nov. 18.
Eastern meadowlark.
Eastern meadowlark.
There were four sightings of bald eagles this week. Brice Contessa found a second-year bald eagle near Edgartown Great Pond on Oct. 29, and Bob Shriber saw another near Tisbury Great Pond’s barrier beach on Nov. 19. Tom Dodd located two adults from Long Point on Nov. 18, and Shawn Barber observed one near Tisbury Great Pond on Nov. 20.
Owls are increasing their vocalizations as they start to set up their territories for the winter. Shea Fee heard a screech owl calling near Webaqua Road in Oak Bluffs on Nov. 10, and I heard one along Sylvan avenue in Vineyard Haven on Nov. 23.
Jerry Twomey reports that he now has a screech owl occupying a nest box in his Katama yard on Nov. 19. There are also two reports of barn owls. Carol Disney saw one at Felix Neck on Nov. 17, and Rich Couse had one at the Hoft Farm on Nov. 21.
Grasshopper sparrow.
Grasshopper sparrow.
The commuter fish crows have returned for the winter, David Stanwood spotted a flock as they were leaving Falmouth and heading our way on Nov. 12. He then observed a noisy flock of about 300 in the Lambert’s Cove area on Nov. 15. Charles Morano counted 228 from the ferry on Nov. 20.
Hairy woodpeckers were more conspicuous this week. Sea Williams and Bridget Dunnigan found one at the Keith Farm on Nov. 11. I got an up-close look at one at Seth’s Pond on Nov. 17. Wayne Smith has one visiting his West Tisbury yard daily, and Ruth Richards, Jay Adams and Nancy Weaver spotted one at Sweetened Water Preserve on Nov 19.
Cynthia Bloomquist and Thaw Malin saw a brown creeper at their West Tisbury home on both Nov. 17 and Nov. 19, the same day that Ruth Richards, Jay Adams and Nancy Weaver had one at Sweetened Water Preserve.
Brant.
Brant.
Finally, two members of the blackbird family have been spotted this week – even though their name does not include blackbird. Nancy Weaver located two meadowlarks at the Gay Head Cliffs on Nov. 13, and Chris Scott observed two at Quansoo Farm on Nov. 15.
Bob Shriber saw one Baltimore oriole at the Gay Head Cliffs on Nov. 13, and Matt Pelikan spotted one at his Oak Bluffs home on Nov. 16.
Please email your sightings to [email protected].
Robert Culbert is an ecological consultant living in Vineyard Haven.
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