Monday, February 13, 2012

By E. Vernon Laux
Published: April 2, 2009

Martha's Vineyard is a fickle place for birding at this time of year. Hardly feast or famine, it is more apt to range between a reduced calorie diet and what at times seems like starvation. Even though bird migration is clearly under way, and ospreys have returned to enliven our skies and robins sing at dawn and dusk, it still feels like winter has her icy grip on the situation.

How quickly things will change when the sun finally shows itself. Despite this whining - the opposite of irrational exuberance, if you will - the birding is improving and can be expected to virtually explode in the weeks ahead, especially when compared to what has been going on during the past month. Birds are on the move and by the end of next week land birds will be much more obvious.

A female northern harrier, one of several larger birds that breed on Martha's Vineyard.
Photo by E. Vernon Laux

Diurnal raptors including the aforementioned ospreys as well as red-tailed hawks, Cooper's hawks, northern harriers, and turkey vultures are all very obvious of late. These species all breed on Martha's Vineyard and the sights and sounds of their courting are hard to miss when the weather is not miserable. They know what time it is, even though the temperatures have refused to cooperate.

Red-tailed hawks are engaged in aerial courtship displays. Courting pairs engage in leg-dangling, talon- dragging descending flights, and then rocket skyward again to perform spectacular loop de loops. These impressive diving flight displays have been a common sight when the weather has been good during the past week.

The moth-like, exaggerated deep wing beat flights of displaying Cooper's hawks have also been a regular feature all over Martha's Vineyard. I was fortunate to witness this behavior three times this past week. This behavior and manner of flight gives these fast flying predators, which specialize in ambushing other birds, an entirely different look from what one is used to. Even the turkey vultures have been performing some rather neat acrobatics overhead of late, obviously not something they do whilst looking for road kill.

Northern harriers - raptors that specialize in capturing rodents with their very long legs in slow speed flight over open fields, dunes, and marshes -enjoy a healthy breeding population on the Vineyard and are also engaging in their special courtship flights. Both the male and female engage in these flight displays. The individual performing the flight will climb vertically until it is about to stall, then it flips its body upside down and inverted it falls back towards earth. Regaining flight control it gathers speed and as it gains speed it pulls back, climbs again, and repeats the whole process for the benefit of its watching partner. It is amazing to watch the bird reach the top of its arc and flip over in the blink of an eye.

Ubiquitous male ospreys are starting to be heard, even above downtown areas, as they engage in aerial flight displays involving a slowly ascending hover (usually with a fish in their talons) with lots very distinctive calling. These will become more frequent soon. Their relatively high-pitched calls are seemingly at odds with the birds' robust general impression. The birds arrive from wintering grounds and immediately set about repairing the nest, attracting or reaffirming pair-bonds with a mate and even in some cases getting right to the business of making another batch of ospreys.

Eastern bluebirds continue to be reported Island-wide by excited observers. Surely this is good news for the birds and it illustrates Vineyarders' strong sense of place as well as an ability to appreciate something as simple, yet awe-inspiring, as the dramatic coloring and presence of these mesmerizing birds. There are few places in eastern Massachusetts where one can see so many of these fabulous birds.

Cormorants have returned to Martha's Vineyard. The cormorant species that winters here is the great cormorant with the occasional double-crested cormorant attempting to over-winter. While universally not considered attractive birds, both cormorants have shockingly turquoise eyes - an entirely different perspective on these much-maligned birds.

Most of the local bird action is still not on Martha's Vineyard but in the waters surrounding it. The silver lining in all the cold rainy weather is that with the persistent low visibilities and easterly winds, Vineyard and Nantucket Sounds have both been busy with migrating pelagic bird species. Northern gannets, along with large flocks of scoters and common eiders, as well as a variety of gulls including black-legged kittiwakes and Iceland gulls, have all been seen repeatedly and in numbers over the past couple of weeks. And common loons, red-necked and horned grebes, and razorbills - all in breeding plumage - have been common.

Spring birding has started slowly as it almost always does on Martha's Vineyard. The best is still to come. As soon as the sun breaks through the perpetual overcast and the wind returns from the southwest, get ready: the migration is going to rapidly accelerate.

Until next time - keep your eyes to the sky.