By SUSAN B. WHITING

One wonders what is going on when two young ospreys that have been fitted out with global positioning system units are hanging out with one another.

Is it a competition to see who has the most stylish backpack holding the unit? Or perhaps to check out who has the most shiny leg bracelet. And what better place to conduct this fashion show but at the osprey pole at Felix Neck.

Rob Bierregaard has been collecting data on the Vineyard’s osprey population for many years. In recent years he is not only banding young osprey in the nest, but also has been fitting the youngsters with a harness and backpack holding a global positioning system unit with transmitter that sends data with hourly locations of the birds to his computer. Many of us have been following the movements of these ospreys over the years as Rob puts the information he receives on a Web site, bioweb.uncc.edu/bierregaard.

At the end of July, Rob banded five young ospreys, three of which were on the Vineyard. Luke was banded and fitted with a transformer at the Mink Meadows nest. Felix had the same gear fitted at — guess where — Felix Neck, and Conomo at Lobsterville. Luke promptly headed over to Felix Neck and he and Felix hung out together for a while.

Rob was amazed at the number of different nests that Luke has visited on the Island since he was fitted with his positioning unit. Although Rob knew that young ospreys check out and gather food at different poles when they begin to fly, he had no idea how many poles until he looked at the data Luke sent in. Rob actually questions whether Luke was born at Mink Meadows or elsewhere due to his itinerant behavior. It will be interesting to see if he returns to Mink Meadows or elsewhere after a couple of winters in Cuba or South America.

Rob also sent me great information on osprey production on the Vineyard for this year and the tally for the last 10 years.

In 2007, there were 62 active nests and 63 inactive nests. Six of the active nests were housekeepers and two were undetermined. Of the 62 active nests, 48 were successful and fledged 84 ospreys. Fourteen nests were failures, which was undoubtedly due to the spring storm that opened Katama Bay to the Atlantic Ocean. Rob added that this was a good year: the third best in the past 10 years and much better than the last three.

The data Rob shared on the 10-year census shows that the 10 most productive nests were: Stonewall Pond, 21 fledged; Lobsterville, 20 fledged; Farm Neck, Mink Meadows, Oak Bluffs harbor and Wasque, each with 17 fledged; Dyke Bridge, Long Point and North Shore at Hollyholm, each with 16 fledged.

Overall, including nests not shown above, the Vineyard has produced 710 young in the last 10 years.

Bird Sightings

We will miss Dick Emmet. He was a fine birder and kept impeccable records.

Whimbrels have arrived. Larry Hepler spotted one at Black Point in Chilmark on July 30, the same day Larry spotted three piping plover chicks. Allan Sgroi saw a whimbrel at Little Beach in Edgartown on August 9 along with two black terns, a spotted sandpiper and roseate terns in with the common and least terns.

The little blue heron that the Oakes family saw at Seven Gates was spotted again by Lindsey Lee on July 25.

There has been some confusion about the two flocks of Canada geese that are flying around the Island. Rob Culbert sent me a picture of a flock at the regional high school that clearly included a snow goose. It seems there is one flock that has a white barnyard goose and another that has a snow goose.

The down-Island flock has a snow goose that frequently goes walk-about from Gus Ben David’s World of Reptiles and Birds. That flock is found around the high school or around Sengekontacket Pond. The second flock is found between the Nip ’n’ Tuck Farm, Allen Farm and Keith’s Field and usually contains the barnyard goose. When questioned, Gus doubted that his snow goose would be up-Island as far as Nip ’n’ Tuck, but one never knows.

Ozzie and Rena Fischer had an odd visitor to their feeder on August 10. It looked very much like a cardinal, but lacked the crest and had a black head. Rena was able to get a photo. I missed seeing the bird and am waiting for the film to be processed.

Great blue herons have been spotted by many as they are moving south. Sonia Norton had one at the Lagoon on the August 11 and they have been seen at Felix Neck as well.

Owls are beginning to spread out after breeding. An eastern screech owl was spotted on Watcha Path on August 12 and one was found dead by Peter Pfluger by the ball park on Causeway Road in Vineyard Haven on August 13. Allan Sgroi reports that the barn owls are still visible around the barn at Felix Neck early in the morning.

Yellow-billed cuckoos have been sighted and heard at both ends of the Island. Flip Harrington and I heard a yellow-billed cuckoo while visiting Patrick Mahady on Tisbury Great Pond on August 11. Nearby, Susan Strang spotted the same species off the Quansoo Road on August 13, Bob Shriber has seen both yellow and black-billed cuckoos in his yard in Aquinnah on August 12, and another reports of a yellow-billed cuckoo catching caterpillars from Watcha Path on the same day.

Bob Shriber also reports that a young long-tailed duck has been hanging out off the Pilot’s Landing in Aquinnah recently. The krill at Lobsterville Beach has brought in thousands of shorebirds. He also reports tufted titmice at both his yard and Waskosim’s Rock.

And speaking of shorebirds, Suzie Bowman on August 13 not only had willets, ruddy turnstones and yellowlegs. The best sighting, with her kayak group from Felix Neck, was an adult yellow-crowned night heron.

Lanny McDowell took the Chilmark Community Center bird walkers to Little Beach on August 14 where they found many species of shorebirds as well as four species of terns, common, least, roseate and seven black terns.

The most unusual sighting this week goes to Sarah Mello, who had a painted bunting at her Vineyard Haven feeder.

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