Keep Calm and Bird On: April 2023

Ginger Andrews • March 30, 2023
“If you don’t look, you don’t see. You have to go and look.”
-Edith Andrews

Perhaps no month on Nantucket better exemplifies the changeable, chaotic nature of spring better than April. Winter one moment, summer the next (but often, not for long). And everyone, including birds, is busy, in a hurry, impatient to get ready for the coming season. It's a restless time; a mix of the delightful and the dreadful.


In the dreadful category, Great Black-backed Gulls have recently been seen acting strangely—shaking their heads, walking backwards, or "acting drunk" falling over, unable to fly—these are neurological symptoms and a possible sign of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI). This has been known to affect humans who have had intense exposure, so it is best to avoid dead birds, and keep dogs away. With the exception of Barn Owls, which we will be happy to go out and collect ourselves with accurate directions, the Maria Mitchell Association is not accepting dead bird specimens at this time. Other groups may be taking samples, so please check for further announcements.


That said, there are more benign dramas to watch. A Northern Harrier pair may do a food-pass, with a vole dropped by the male and caught mid-air by the female. This is an acceptance of courtship, and later a stealthy way of hiding the nest location. Watch a Woodpecker drilling a new nest hole, and come back later to see if the cavity is occupied—and by whom. Observe Ospreys rebuilding their nests, defending them, or sometimes picking new mates. 


Don't be afraid to go outside. If you become bored with the usual suspects, take time to watch longer. You may see interesting behavior. And who knows, with persistence you might learn something new to science, too.



Photo of Osprey by Ginger Andrews

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September 18, 2026
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