On Saturday, July 25th, the FI Research and Survey Team (FIRST) conducted a breeding bird survey across the island. The survey follows the same format as our classic migratory bird survey, but instead focuses on the birds currently nesting and raising young here on Fishers Island, outside of the migratory window. Unlike our migratory visitors passing through, these breeding residents will stick around for the next few months, relying on the island’s insects and other resources to feed and raise their chicks.
Working across 15 survey points, the team documented 228 individual birds representing 52 unique species. Birds were identified using a combination of visual observations and vocalizations. The Merlin Bird ID app assisted with some auditory detections, but recordings were reviewed and confirmed by the team before being included in the survey data.
Counts like these matter beyond the day itself. Because breeding birds respond quickly to changes in habitat and food availability, tracking them season after season helps us spot shifts in the island’s ecosystem early, and builds a long-term record of which species are successfully nesting here year to year.
The complete dataset from the survey is attached, and the species observed are listed below.
Featured Photo by Naomi Zahn
| July 2026 Breeding Bird Count |
|---|
| American Goldfinch |
| American Redstart |
| American Robin |
| Barn Swallow |
| Black-capped Chickadee |
| Black-crowned Night-Heron |
| Blue Jay |
| Carolina Wren |
| Cedar Waxwing |
| Chimney Swift |
| Chipping Sparrow |
| Common Eider |
| Common Grackle |
| Common Raven |
| Common Tern |
| Common Yellowthroat |
| Double-crested Cormorant |
| Downy Woodpecker |
| Eastern Towhee |
| Eastern Warbling-Vireo |
| European Starling |
| Gray Catbird |
| Gray Flycatcher |
| Great Black-backed Gull |
| Great Blue Heron |
| Great Crested Flycatcher |
| House Finch |
| House Sparrow |
| Killdeer |
| Mourning Dove |
| Northern Cardinal |
| Northern Flicker |
| Northern House Wren |
| Northern Mockingbird |
| Orchard Oriole |
| Osprey |
| Piping Plover |
| Purple Martin |
| Red-bellied Woodpecker |
| Red-winged Blackbird |
| Ring-billed Gull |
| Ring-necked Pheasant |
| Ruby-throated Hummingbird |
| Song Sparrow |
| Tree Swallow |
| White-breasted Nuthatch |
| White-eyed Vireo |
| Willet |
| Willow Flycatcher |
| Wood Thrush |
| Yellow-breasted Chat |
| Yellow Warbler |