65th Annual Martha’s Vineyard Christmas Bird Count
Held on December 29, 2024, the annual Martha’s Vineyard Christmas Bird Count was buoyed by unseasonably mild temperatures (ranging up into the low 50s!) and moderate winds. A period of drizzle marred morning birding somewhat but did not seem to impact results very much. Thirteen field teams and about a dozen feeder-watchers tallied 128 bird species and 21,343 individuals. Six additional species were found during the count week – that is, sometime during the three days on either side of the actual count.
The species count was a bit higher than average, probably reflecting the mild conditions and the generally mild season that preceded the count. 2024 was one of the few iterations of this event that did not produce at least one show-stopping rarity; rather, the impressive tally reflected methodical work by participants, who missed very few of the species that are expected on this count.
The most numerous species on this count was Canada goose, with 2,162 individuals counted. Event organizers speculate that double-counting, a result of the mobility of the island’s flocks of feral geese, may have inflated that number. But it is clear that this species is a hugely abundant component of the Vineyard’s avifauan. Other species breaking the 1,000-individual mark were common eider (1,642 individuals), bufflehead (1,252), American herring gull (1,088), American crow (1,156), Eurpean starling (1,011), and American robin (1,721, many of them tallied as they came into a massive nocturnal roost in a bamboo stand along State Road in Vineyard Haven).
Other plentiful birds included song sparrow (334), Carolina wren (233), black-capped chickadee (665), American black duck (583), greater scaup (539), and white-winged scoter (701). The mildness of the season, and perhaps the general trend to more mild winters as the climate changes, was illustrated by finds such as two lingering American oystercatchers (a locally common breeder on Martha’s Vineyard but typically absent in winter) and four great egrets. While American woodcock, usually tallied on this count, was missed in 2024, it was a great year for shorebirds, with nine species in this group reported. A total of nine common ravens highlighted the steady growth of this species, established here only in the last decade or so, on the Vineyard.
Highlights included a total of four orange-crowned warblers (an uncommon species that is often missed entirely on this count); two common yellowthroats (a common breeding bird here but rare in winter); two Virginia rails (probably always present for the count by difficult to find at any season); two black-headed gulls; a single snowy owl; a single bald eagle, reflecting the steady establishment of this former rarity on the Vineyard; and two brown thrashers. Intrepid owlers tallied 22 eastern screech-owls and two northern saw-whet owls, despite rainy conditions overnight before the count. A rose-breased grosbeak, observed on the last day of the year at a feeder at the Hoft Farm in West Tisbury, was an unseasonable find and a nice “count period” addition.
Running for 24 hours and usually held at the very end of December or the very beginning of January, the annual Christmas Bird Count is a revered tradition among Vineyard birders and always draws a crowd of participants. As usual, some skilled birders from off-Island augmented the considerable local talent on this year’s count. Generally considered the oldest “community science” project, the overall Christmas Bird Count is coordinated by the National Audubon Society and has been in existence for a century and a quarter. The results of any given count can vary wildly from year to year, depending on factors such as weather and levels of participation. But more than 2,500 counts are held in a typical season across North America, and the many years of data and the many counts tend to even out irregularities. The vast data set generated by the CBC has proven to be a reliable and valuable tool for monitoring avian population and distribution trends.
Matt Pelikan, a naturalist with BiodiversityWorks, is a life-long birder and regular CBC participant, covering a territory that extends from West Chop through Vineyard Haven to Thimble Farm. On the 2024 count, his species highlights included killdeer, great egret, red-winged blackbird, and eastern meadowlark.