We lost a species from the Vineyard’s avifauna in 2024! The American Ornithologists Union lumped three species - common, hoary and lesser (a European species) redpolls into one species called redpoll.
We lost a species from the Vineyard’s avifauna in 2024! The American Ornithologists Union lumped three species - common, hoary and lesser (a European species) redpolls into one species called redpoll. This change was because the genetics of these three former species are nearly identical. Common redpolls were an irregular visitor to the Island, and hoary redpolls have only been spotted four times, most recently in 1987.
Bird Sightings
Yellow Breasted Chat
Yellow Breasted Chat
There were some notable sightings this week, capped by the first ever Island sighting of a rufous hummingbird that showed up at a home in Chilmark on Nov. 23 and we learned about it on Dec. 7 (see separate article about this).
There were two first sightings of the season: Charles Morano spotted one redhead (a duck) within a mixed species flock of 29 greater scaup and 12 lesser scaup on Squibnocket Pond on Dec. 3, and Lisa Maxfield, Janet Woodcock, and Anne Carmichael Whiting found a northern shoveler – likely the same male that was there last winter – at Crystal Lake on Dec. 6. Several yellow-breasted chats were reported previously, but two more showed up this week: Charles Morano had one chat at Katama Farm on Dec. 1, and another was located by Janet Woodcock and Nancy Weaver at the Aquinnah Herring Run on Dec. 5.
What is going on with mute swans? We used to see large flocks of 80 or more in the ponds along the south shore, but this week there were only 15 individuals sighted from five locations. Nancy Weaver and Janet Woodcock spotted one at Eel Pond, one at Crystal Lake on Dec. 4, and one at Squibnocket Pond on Dec. 5, Charles Morano counted five at Squibnocket Pond on Dec. 3 and five more at Slough Cove on Dec. 5, while the MV Bird Club watched a pair at the Pumping Station on Dec. 6.
Redhead
Redhead
Highlights of the many other waterfowl sightings include Charles Morano seeing 110 ruddy ducks at Squibnocket Pond on Dec. 3, and five gadwall, 12 American black ducks, six northern pintail, 25 green-winged teal, and 54 hooded mergansers at Slough Cove on Dec. 5, and Maddie Henson joined him the next day at Squibnocket Pond to find 38 lesser scaup. Bob Shriber found a flock of 250 greater scaup and one lesser scaup near the Aquinnah Herring Run on Dec. 6.
Mourning doves are widespread but are seldom abundant. I had four at my Vineyard Haven feeders on Dec. 1, Nancy Weaver and Janet Woodcock spotted two at Eel Pond on Dec. 4, and Thaw Malin and Cynthia Bloomquist found one modo at their West Tisbury home on Dec. 5. On Dec. 6 Bob Shriber located five at the east end of Moshup Trail, the MV Bird Club observed one at the Pumping Station on Dec. 6, and Charles Morano counted 28 along Donaldbin Close. The quartet of Luanne Johnson, Janet Woodcock, Shea Fee, and Nancy Weaver observed two near Brickworks Road in Chilmark on Dec. 7.
Double Breasted Cormorants
Double Breasted Cormorants
Lingering shorebirds include Nancy Weaver’s sighting of three greater yellowlegs at Mud Creek on Dec. 1, and three people spotted American oystercatchers: Matt Hornecker found two at Lighthouse Beach on Dec. 2, Charles Morano located two at nearby Little Beach on Dec. 4, and Anne Carmichael Whiting found one at the seawall near the drawbridge on Dec. 7.
A secretive Virginia rail was seen by Charles Morano at Squibnocket Pond on Dec. 3.
Nancy Weaver counted 43 lingering double-crested cormorants at the Pumping Station on Dec. 2, by far the highest count this week: I had nine of them in the Lagoon near the Shellfish Hatchery, Charles Morano found two at Squibnocket Pond on Dec. 3, Bob Shriber located one in Aquinnah on Dec. 5, the same day that Nancy Weaver spotted one at the Aquinnah Herring Creek, and the MV Bird Club observed one at the Pumping Station on Dec. 6. The other cormorant species – a great cormorant – is less common: Bob Shriber located 13 in Aquinnah on Dec. 5, and the next day he observed two at the Aquinnah Herring Run.
Redpoll
Redpoll
Four species of finches are of special interest. Randy Rynd reports American goldfinches at her feeders on Nov. 29, on Dec. 1, I observed three dark-eyed juncos at my Vineyard Haven home, Cynthia Bloomquist and Thaw Malin spotted five goldfinches and six juncos at their West Tisbury home, and Charles Morano found one goldfinch at Katama Farm. Janet Woodcock and Nancy Weaver saw a goldfinch at Crystal Lake on Dec. 4, and Bob Shriber watched five goldfinch and three juncos in Aquinnah on Dec. 5. Charles Morano located three swamp sparrows at Squibnocket Pond on Dec. 3, and he observed one purple finch at Slough Cove on Dec. 5.
John Nelson reports an observation of three merlins seemingly playing at Katama Farm on Dec. 7. They were diving and chasing each other like they were playing tag, then they flew upward until they were out of sight.
Mute Swan
Mute Swan
The annual Christmas Bird Count is rapidly approaching, and will be held on Sunday, Dec. 28. About a dozen field teams will be scouring their assigned territories to find and count as many birds as they can. But we – the field teams - cannot possibly count all the birds on the Island! Please help by counting the birds that are in your yard that day; as a former compiler of this event, I can say that almost every year your sightings add a species that the field teams did not find! Directions for your participation are on the Christmas Bird Count pages of BiodiversityWorks website.
Please email your sightings to [email protected]
Robert Culbert is an ecological consultant living in Vineyard Haven
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