Updated Sept. 12
Many find Vineyard summers too busy, and instead visit in September just past peak season. The Island’s latest notable shoulder season traveler is a brown pelican, seen through this week on Lagoon Pond in Tisbury.
The Vineyard’s birders and wildlife professionals have been calling the find rare for this part of North America.
Suzan Bellincampi, Mass Audobon Islands Director, has heard of sightings of this bird since September 8, and has heard a buzz from the Vineyard’s active birdwatching community.
“Everyone wants to see it… to see it in New England, Massachusetts or on the Vineyard is really special,” she told The Times.
Brown pelicans are the smallest of six pelican species, with a wingspan around six feet. They are more commonly seen in the Southeast. “In my time here, 24 or 25 years, I remember only a handful of times,” Bellincampi said. “A couple sightings in Menemsha — It’s really quite uncommon.”
“It’s out of its range, a more southern bird,” she added. “You see them in Florida and up North.”
Matt Pelikan, who is director of the Martha’s Vineyard Atlas of Life at BiodiversityWorks and The Times’ wildlife columnist, has also heard many reports of the Lagoon Pond visitor. “The bird has been … found reliably by multiple observers and well photographed, so there is no doubt the ID is correct,” he said. “They are powerful fliers with an established pattern of vagrancy to the Northeast. So a good bird, and one that lots of people get to see.”
It’s hard to be certain why this individual wound up here, Bellincampi said, though she shared some possibilities. “There are going to be storms, or it could just wander outside of its range,” she said.
For anyone out for a glimpse or photo of this pelican, Bellincampi advised respecting private property and the animal itself. “The bird could be exhausted, and could be trying to get its energy up to go where it wants to be,” she said. “Keep a good distance from the bird — Its health and safety is more important than your photo.”
