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BIRDS:
Waters teem with birdlife
March 3, 2005
By
E. Vernon Laux
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A
ring-billed gull and a common eider co-exist off East Chop.
Photo by Julian K. Robinson
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The entire month of March is a time of great change on the waters
surrounding the Vineyard. In winter, the nearshore waters play host
to many hundreds of thousands of sea ducks and a wide variety of
other sea birds. For many of these hardy birds, the waters they
winter in are as far south as they will go - this is the southern
terminus of their annual journey. In other words this is the tropics
for these birds - compare it to human “snowbirds” heading
to Florida, the Caribbean, or Costa Rica for the winter.
The reason for this bounty of wintering waterfowl, loons, grebes,
alcids, and gulls is simple. The water quality is good, there is
abundant marine life - including extensive beds of shellfish, most
notably blue mussels - and there is little disturbance from man
or his industrial structures. There are great numbers of common
eiders, the largest sea duck,
in Nantucket and Vineyard Sounds as well as south of the Vineyard.
This is the species stronghold in the North Atlantic. Yet this currently
super-abundant species is rare in Long Island Sound, and a real
rarity in coastal Connecticut. We are very fortunate to enjoy clean
water and the nature's bounty that comes with it.
Along with the insulation of their feathers, kept waterproof by
constant preening and oiling with special oils from preen glands,
these birds also possess an insulating layer of subcutaneous fat.
Barring an encounter with some agent that destroys their natural
oils, like detergents, various pollutants, oil or other contaminants,
they can withstand the coldest waters. Once salt water freezes they
are forced to move to find food. In fact, small numbers of these
ducks remain as far north as open water remains.
Romance on the waters
As the day length is rapidly increasing the birds' internal clocks
signal a change in behavior. The biological imperative to perpetuate
the species has its own schedule. The waters from Cape Pogue in
Edgartown to the Gay Head Cliffs in Aquinnah are alive with courtship
displays of sea ducks, including common eiders, common goldeneyes,
buffleheads, long-tailed ducks, red-breasted mergansers, and all
three scoter species - white-winger, surf, and black.
In many places around the Vineyard patches of water resemble a seething,
moving, living thing. These stretches of water are filled with the
frenetic activity of enormous flocks of sea ducks. They are engaged
in daily chores, like flying back up-current to do another drift
over a favorable feeding area in order to put on fat that will be
used to migrate north. At the same time, they are determining a
pecking order, pairing off and engaging in courtship displays, and
exercising their wings.
They are beginning to exhibit migratory restlessness as well. Flocks
of these hardy birds will begin to move north very soon to be at
breeding sites when the ice goes out.
For the past couple of weeks, tens of thousands of eiders and scoters
have been staging at many favored locales. Whit Griswold of West
Tisbury has been watching an enormous flock of mostly common eiders
out in Vineyard Sound from his house on Lambert's Cove Road. The
flock of birds is about a mile off the beach and stretches for more
than a mile, running west to east from off of Paul's Point to Makoniky
along the north shore of the Vineyard.
Sea ducks everywhere
Sea ducks off the south shore - from Wasque in Edgartown to Nomans
Land and around Gay Head to Cuttyhunk - currently number in the
hundreds of thousands. The ducks are not alone; the same waters
are also frequented by loons, grebes, alcids in the form of razorbills,
pelagic gulls called black-legged kittiwakes and myriad other birds.
It is an excellent time of year to get to a favorite beach at dawn
and witness the bird life passing by.
Tom Scott of Edgartown reports that he has seen and heard woodcock
displaying near Oyster Pond recently. He wanted to confirm what
was written in last week's column. He saw them displaying on February
20 thru 23 and almost every evening since. The remarkable courtship
display of the American woodcock is one of the joys of early spring
birding on the Vineyard.
Lastly, a report comes from Chris Heidt of Vineyard Haven of an
adult bald eagle. He was walking along the shores of the Lagoon
on Saturday, Feb. 26, when a big shadow came over. Looking up, he
was shocked to see the large distinctive shape and wingspan, along
with the white head and tail, of a bald eagle. The bird was scaring
the living bejesus out of gulls, ducks and any other birds with
eyes as it took a look for something to eat over the Lagoon. Adult
eagles tend to show up at this season as they are frozen out of
areas further north.
Until next week - keep your eyes to the sky!
To contribute news
about your birding activities or sightings, call The Times Birdline,
508-693-6100, extension 33; or e-mail birds@mvtimes.com.
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