For many diverse species of shorebirds, Fishers Island has become the best “next stop” for fall migration.

With tepid tidal pools, thick salted wrack lines and sand dunes buffered with tall beach grass, birds returning to this ideal habitat feed, rest and recover morning, noon and night.

Usually an arctic resident, the Black-bellied Plover has been observed foraging here into December after breeding season up north.

This week, both a male (right) with declining black plumage and a female (left), pictured with a Killdeer, will hopefully pair up for their future southerly journey.

From the Field, Field Note by Justine Kibbe, Sept. 4, 2019