Harry Beach and Karen Merlino report that the rufous hummingbird “is doing fine and visited their heated feeder at 6:55 a.m. on Dec. 14.
Harry Beach and Karen Merlino report that the rufous hummingbird “is doing fine and visited their heated feeder at 6:55 a.m. on Dec. 14.
This species is supposed to be along the Gulf Coast or in central Mexico now, so it is a long way from home. It likely was carried to this side of the continent with the assistance of storms and the frequently strong northwest winds. An examination of ebird historical records shows that sightings of rufous hummingbirds in the east started appearing in the 1980s, and the sightings are even more frequent now.
Common Tern
Common Tern
It is a rare occurrence to add a new species to the Vineyard’s avifauna, which includes slightly more than 400 species! From ebird and Martha’s Vineyard Bird Alert, Lanny McDowell, Lisa Maxfield, Jim Suozzo, Bob Shriber, Charles Molano and Ruth Richards each saw it this week.
Will it survive the winter? There is a decent chance that it will. First, there was a rufous hummingbird in Orleans that was seen every month from Oct. 2023 to March 2024, and surprisingly two were seen there in January and March. They apparently are remarkably cold tolerant if provided a warmed nectar feeder through the winter. And second, their cold tolerance may be due to their nesting range, which includes southern Alaska.
Northern Shoveler
Northern Shoveler
The closely related Allen’s hummingbird made its first and only visit to the Vineyard back in November 2012, and it survived until a brutally cold snap in the last week January 2013. Their home range is much more restricted, as it extends northward only to Southwestern Oregon.
To identify a rufous, we need to see the shape of a few tail feathers on these incredibly active three and three quarters inch long birds. Close-up photographs are almost required as one of the rufous’ tail feathers is wider than that of the Allen’s. Upon examining the photographs Luanne Johnson sent, Peter Pyle has confirmed that our bird is an adult female rufous hummingbird.
Common Tern
Common Tern
Hosts Harry Beach and Karen Merlino have established viewing hours for people to see the hummingbird as previously reported: Visiting hours strictly 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Do not come by outside of those hours. Park across the street on Brickyard Road (the road to Great Rock Bight). Do not park in their driveway or at the fire station. Their backyard feeders can be accessed through a wooden gate soon after you enter the driveway, on the righthand side. Please be respectful of the hosts, the bird and other birders.
Two sightings other than the hummingbird are of particular interest: a sparrow and an owl.
Charles Morano spotted the first-of-season fox sparrows, four of them, in the state forest on Dec. 7. They may spend the winter, but they are far from common.
The second sighting of interest is a snowy owl. About 10 years ago we had multiple snowies staying through the winter, but now they seem to have returned to their normal abundance of one or two brief visits in the winter. Brian Packish had one fly overhead when he was between the hospital and the drawbridge, flying toward the outer harbor, on Dec. 10.
Fox Sparrow
Fox Sparrow
A few species are lingering. At Mud Creek, Nancy Weaver found one greater yellowlegs on Dec. 12. The next day I saw two there, and Sophia-Millicent Peirce-Cabral observed five along Lagoon Pond from nearby Tisbury Marketplace, and an American oystercatcher.
Charles Morano watched the Katama Farm kestrel on Dec. 1, and Jeff Bernier found it again on Dec. 9.
Lisa Maxfield discovered an orange-crowned warbler at Brush Pond on Dec. 12. Charles Morano located a rather late common tern from Menemsha Beach on Dec. 6. And Ruth Richards saw a marsh wren at Squibnocket Pond on Dec.10.
Wintering waterfowl have been sighted this week. Charles Morano spotted nine gadwall, seven northern pintail and 23 green-winged teal at Town Cove on Dec. 9. Janet Woodcock found 25 ring-necked ducks and 20 common goldeneyes at Crystal Lake on Dec. 12. Ruth Richards saw one shoveler at Mud Creek on Dec. 9, and I watched a male and a female shoveler there on Dec. 14.
Orange Crowned Warbler
Orange Crowned Warbler
Is the male shoveler still at Crystal Lake or has it moved to Mud Creek? We need to look for three less common waterfowl that have not arrived yet: snow goose, Barrow’s goldeneye, and canvasback.
Have you seen the reddish tinge on the red-bellied woodpecker’s belly? That patch seems to be most visible in the winter. Lisa Maxfield got to see it at her Oak Bluffs feeders on Dec. 10. Also notable is Jennifer Slossberg’s sighting of a yellow-breasted sapsucker at 33 Ebens Lane in Chilmark on Dec. 8, and Bob Shriber found one at Moshup Trail on Dec. 6.
On Dec. 8, Nancy Weaver located six red-breasted nuthatches in the state forest, and Thaw Malin observed one at his West Tisbury feeders. Luanne Johnson had one visit her West Tisbury feeders on Dec. 13.
Yellow Bellied Sapsucker
Yellow Bellied Sapsucker
One of my favorite winter birds to find is the snow bunting, especially when they are actively feeding on beachgrass seeds in the dunes. But so far this season they have mostly been seen in the sandy/grassy/muddy right fork beach parking lots. Jeff Bernier watched a flock of them along the roadside near there on Dec. 8, Warren Woessner observed 15 there on both Dec. 9 and 10, and David Padulo counted 20 there on Dec. 10.
Last, but not least, Charles Morano found a black-headed gull at Town Cove on Dec. 9. This small gull is very similar to the more common Bonaparte’s gull, so look at them carefully to see if their bill is all black (Bonaparte’s), or if there is red/orange at the base of their bills (black-headed)!
Please email your sightings to [email protected].
Robert Culbert is an ecological consultant living in Vineyard Haven.
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