What will be around the corner when we are birding? Maybe a common bird doing something unexpected, or maybe something totally off-the-wall unusual. A lot of us hope for a bird that we did not expect to find.
An ash-throated flycatcher is certainly in the unexpected category. Normally found in the southwestern part of the country, vagrants to the East Coast happen fairly regularly, with seven sightings of this southwestern stray so far in Massachusetts this fall. They are not seen every year on the Vineyard.
Nancy Nordin was birding the Squibnocket Beach area on Dec. 17 when she spotted a bird perched on a low branch at the side of Squibnocket Road, described as “a medium size flycatcher with two wing bars, pale gray-whitish breast, pale yellow belly and a peaked grayish head.” It was paler than the similar-looking summer resident great crested flycatcher. An ash-throated flycatcher is the type of unusual sighting that mant birders are seeking. Fortunately, she got good photos to confirm the identification.
Let’s hope for some more of the unexpected bird sightings this month. And we probably will since the annual Christmas Bird Count is on Dec. 31. On that day there will be 60 or more intrepid birders scouring the Island; they will be divided into about a dozen field teams, each with their own assigned territory to cover. Others will be monitoring and reporting birds in their yards. Hopefully you will join this long-term study that has been conducted annually since 1960. For more information about how to compile a feeder report, go to the biodiversityworksmv.org website or email mvbirdtours@gmail.com.
More species are arriving that have not been seen this fall. A diving duck called redhead — yes, it has a reddish head — has been spotted in Chilmark this week. Isaiah Freedman, John Freedman and Charles Morano spotted two on Dec. 15. On Dec. 16, Lisa Maxfield and Chris Scott spotted one and Nancy Nordin and Susan Whiting found four.
A few flocks of purple sandpipers have also arrived this week. Nancy Nordin found a flock of seven on Dec. 10 at Pilot’s Landing, Jeff Bernier saw some in Aquinnah on Dec. 12 and Charles Morano discovered one on Dec. 14 along Moshup Trail.
On Dec. 16 John and Isaiah Freedman observed four from the Gay Head Cliffs. Nancy Weaver watched three in the same location. John and Isaiah Freedman, Thaw Malin, Cynthia Bloomquist, Lisa Maxfield and Nancy Weaver located a flock of eight purple sandpipers at Philbin Beach. Isaiah Freedman located a flock of six at Lucy Vincent.
Last week I wrote a paragraph about fox sparrows and Iceland gulls. Unfortunately I got a few of the details mixed up. Oops! So I will try again. On Dec. 5 Cynthia Bloomquist saw one fox sparrow at the Gay Head Cliffs; the next day Nancy Nordin and Bob Shriber also spotted one — the same one? — at the Gay Head Cliffs; and on Dec. 16 Chris Scott observed one near upper Chilmark Pond.
Cynthia Bloomquist reported a single Iceland gull on Dec. 2 from West Basin Road, while Charles Morano, Matthew Born, Nancy Nordin, and Bob Shriber saw one on Dec. 4 at the Gay Head Cliffs.
Great blue herons are fairly common in the fall and winter, stalking our marshes and pond shores in search of food. There were eight sightings this week alone. Bob Shriber spotted one in Aquinnah on Dec. 13, Chris Scott found two at Chilmark Pond on Dec. 14 and Charles Morano saw one at upper Chilmark Pond on Dec. 15.
A lot of birders were out and about on Dec. 16 and there were multiple reports of great blue herons. Lisa Maxfield observed one at upper Chilmark Pond; Nancy Nordin, Thaw Malin and Cynthia Bloomquist watched three at Black Point Pond; Nancy Nordin and Susan Whiting located one at Chilmark Pond; and Isaiah Freedman and Chris Scott each noted one was at upper Chilmark Pond.
In contrast, another large wading bird, the summer resident great egret, has not been seen since Chris Scott’s Nov. 14 sighting at James Pond.
Northern flickers are amazing with their bright yellow feathers; their former name was yellow-shafted flicker, which is a more descriptive name. The following birders have reported flickers: Ira Certner had a male and female at his Edgartown feeders on Dec. 5, Samantha Hartley saw one male at her West Tisbury feeder on Dec. 6, Thaw Malin viewed one at his home on Dec. 7, Holly Mercier spotted her first of the season at her feeder on Dec. 8 and Nancy Nordin found two along North Road on Dec. 9. Bob Shriber observed two on Dec. 13, one at Town Cove and one in Aquinnah.
There were multiple flicker sightings on Dec. 16: Shea Fee spotted two at Wasque, Lisa Maxfield watched two at Brush Pond and Isaiah Freedman saw one at the Herring Creek in Aquinnah. On Dec. 17 Margaret Curtin discovered five near the State Forest headquarters. They are widespread.
Finally: I agree with Lisa Maxfield that there “seems to be a lot of orange-crowned warblers around this winter” after she had just spotted one in her Oak Bluffs yard on Dec. 15. She also notes lots of cedar waxwings and robins in her yard, saying “They’re tearing my cedars apart looking for berries.“ Cynthia Bloomquist, Thaw Malin and John and Isaiah Freedman both spotted two lingering tree swallows at Squibnocket Beach on Dec. 16.
Please email your sightings to birds@vineyardgazette.com.
Robert Culbert is an ecological consultant with Nature Watch LLC living in Vineyard Haven.
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