Susan B. Whiting
Whoa, Vineyard birders have quite a challenge ahead of them. The Nantucket Christmas Bird Count was conducted last weekend and the unofficial total was 134 species! Ouch — we are going to have to work long and hard to match or hopefully beat that total. We are definitely at the mercy of the weather, so let’s hope Mother Nature is good to us.
I hope you all had a merry Christmas and that you are now thinking about spending some time outside scouting different Vineyard habitats for birds. This is important because Jan. 3 is the day set we aside for the Martha’s Vineyard Christmas Bird Count.
Bonaparte’s gulls are some of my favorite birds. These birds, unlike their larger cousins, are a delicate small gull, found in the harbors and close to shore in Vineyard and Nantucket sounds and off South Beach. The best place to see the Boneys, as these gulls are called, is along the sea wall in Vineyard Haven harbor. Look for a small grey gull with a very white band on the leading edge of its wings. Sporting a very petite black bill and a black dot behind his eye, the bird is hard to miss.
There has been a fallout of snowy owls on the Vineyard. It all started on Nov. 7 when one was spotted in the Squibnocket area. Now there have been sightings of this large and powerful white owl in Chilmark, West Tisbury, Edgartown and Chappaquiddick. Gus Ben David and I figure there have to be at least two different snowy owls on the Vineyard and possibly three.
Turkeys were in the news quite a bit this summer, and they have been in many stomachs recently.
The Intracoastal Waterway (ICW), inland waterway, or the Ditch, as it is also known, is an incredible piece of water. It offers the boater, whether by sail, paddle, oars or motor, a fascinating peek into the history and natural history of the Eastern Seaboard. The ICW doesn’t officially start (mile marker number one) until Norfolk, Va., and ends in Key West, Fla. (mile marker 1241). However, many seamen believe it starts at Cape Ann and goes to Brownsville, Tex.