2019 Island Sentinels (l-r) Alexa Rosenberg, Marc Rosenberg, Nicholas Danforth, Gardner Thors, Nicolas Hall, Betsy Conger and Wilson Thors.
Have you been hearing more about the Fishers Island Sentinels lately? Sponsored by FIConservancy, they are a group of young students, passionate about the environment, who fan out across the Island to observe, learn and communicate the natural wonders of Fishers Island.
“The Island Sentinel program was established to promote the idea that local traditional knowledge can and should be bridged with science,” said Justine Kibbe, who founded the Island Sentinel program in 2013. “Younger generations of the Fishers Island community are empowered with the capability and capacity to contribute to the preservation and conservation of its own lands.”
FIConservancy pays annually for year-round, summer and/or magnet students at FI School, who become part of a committed team mentored by Justine. They collect data, walking or bicycling to 10 Island sites, including Dock Beach, South Beach, Hay Harbor, Silver Eel Cove, Race Point, Isabella beach, Chocomount beach, East Harbor, Middle Farms pond, and the Fishers Island Club beach.
Among the Sentinels’ observations are weather, wildlife, seaweed, marine/human debris, human presence, current activity at the site, and any general changes or inconsistencies. The Sentinels record data, which is collected in a database currently being developed for access on the Conservancy’s website.
Who are the 2019 Island Sentinels?
What Happened to the Ospreys?
NewsOsprey flies above abandoned nest at Four Corners on East End of Fishers Island. FIConservancy Photo
There are no answers. Just questions. The problem is reportedly not widespread, but there are fewer than half the fledgings on Fishers Island in 2019 (15) than there were in 2018 (34).
Ken Edwards Sr., speaking for the Ferguson Museum, said, “The site at Four Corners (Bagley Reid’s) was moved from the power line pole to the deMenil property, 100 feet to the south of the original pole, by the Fishers Island Electric Co. [for safety reasons], with most of the original nest [intact]. Birds came back but did not raise any young.
“Why so few young this year is a good question. The answer is not clear. Was it the cold wet spring? Not enough food?
“Osprey expert Alan Poole will be speaking at the Ferguson Museum on September 7. Join us, and perhaps he will have some answers.
“Thanks to Andrew Edwards and his drone for helping with the count.”
See Andrew’s osprey fledgling count on fishers island.net.
Post-Sentinel Success!
News, SentinelsOlivia Backhaus was the first Island Sentinel, when FIConservancy established the program in 2013, and she spent the next five summers as a Sentinel. This fall, she will attend Georgetown Law in Washington, D.C., studying environmental law.
2019 Sunset on the Beach
NewsA record-breaking heatwave did not deter nearly 450 people who attended FIConservancy’s annual Sunset on the Beach, Sat. July 20, 2019 at the Fishers Island Club Beach Club.
Eider Duck Reunion Summer 2019
Field Notes, From the Field, NewsThere are several quiet coves on the western end of Fishers Island where Eider Ducks feel quite at home and appear to be thriving this July.
I often think of our late Island Naturalist Edwin Horning’s sightings and field observations. Between 1970-75, he witnessed only eight ducks at Race Point, and only during winter months. But now I see how this diving sea duck, once thought of as a “rare” visitor from the northern tundra, has truly acclimated to climate and available healthy habitat.
This summer, you’ll see Eider Duck families nestled below the cliffs near the Naval radar station south side, or foraging just outside Silver Eel Cove’s ferry slip (Little Stony) and preening in the sultry air on beaches of Sanctuary of Sands.
From the Field, Field Note by Justine Kibbe, July 26, 2019
Noted Increase in Shorebirds
Field Notes, From the Field, NewsIt has been a banner year for Fishers Island’s returning shorebirds!
A Different Kind of Shark
News, SentinelsIsland Sentinel Marc Rosenberg took a great shot of a dusky smoothhound in shallow water off the Hay Harbor Club sailing dock in July.
The dusky smoothhound or smooth dogfish is a hound shark species. FIConservancy Naturalist Justine Kibbe reported seeing one last year and several in Hay Harbor, when she was a child.
Although these fish may appear menacing, they do not bite their food.
They differ from other sharks because their flat, blunt teeth are used to crush and grind food, like clams, marine worms and squid, rather than bite. They are relatively small and slender, about 48 inches long, but can reach up to five feet.
These fish are sometimes incorrectly labeled “sand sharks”, which are larger sharks also known as sand tiger sharks, grey nurse sharks or ragged tooth sharks. They are found worldwide in temperate and tropical waters, whereas the the dusky smoothhound is native to the entire Eastern Seaboard.
2019 Island Sentinels
News2019 Island Sentinels (l-r) Alexa Rosenberg, Marc Rosenberg, Nicholas Danforth, Gardner Thors, Nicolas Hall, Betsy Conger and Wilson Thors.
Have you been hearing more about the Fishers Island Sentinels lately? Sponsored by FIConservancy, they are a group of young students, passionate about the environment, who fan out across the Island to observe, learn and communicate the natural wonders of Fishers Island.
“The Island Sentinel program was established to promote the idea that local traditional knowledge can and should be bridged with science,” said Justine Kibbe, who founded the Island Sentinel program in 2013. “Younger generations of the Fishers Island community are empowered with the capability and capacity to contribute to the preservation and conservation of its own lands.”
FIConservancy pays annually for year-round, summer and/or magnet students at FI School, who become part of a committed team mentored by Justine. They collect data, walking or bicycling to 10 Island sites, including Dock Beach, South Beach, Hay Harbor, Silver Eel Cove, Race Point, Isabella beach, Chocomount beach, East Harbor, Middle Farms pond, and the Fishers Island Club beach.
Among the Sentinels’ observations are weather, wildlife, seaweed, marine/human debris, human presence, current activity at the site, and any general changes or inconsistencies. The Sentinels record data, which is collected in a database currently being developed for access on the Conservancy’s website.
Who are the 2019 Island Sentinels?
Alexa Rosenberg Observes American Oystercatchers
News, SentinelsA pair of American oystercatchers has been spotted recently in the area near the airport known to the Island Sentinels as the Sanctuary of Sands. They return to the Sanctuary almost every day. Above is a watercolor illustration of one of these birds by Sentinel Alexa Rosenberg.
As their name suggests, the diet of an oystercatcher consists mainly of oysters, mussels and other bivalves. Recognizable by its black head, white and brown plumage, and bright red beak, the oystercatcher is about the size of a crow. These birds are uncommon on Fishers Island and are found only along the coast so keep your eyes peeled!
Audubon has identified the American oystercatcher, which is protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, as a climate-threatened bird. Its population totals a mere 11,000 birds on the East Coast.
Alexa Rosenberg, Fishers Island Sentinel
Wilson Thors Front Row to a Chrysalis
News, SentinelsThe Thors front yard is now home to about seven fast-growing third generation monarch caterpillars!
Devouring no less than three stocks of milkweed, they will soon move into their chrysalides and transform into butterflies.
Such a sight and process in my own front yard is not an everyday occurrence, and I’m curious to see where these creatures end up.
Wilson Thors, Fishers Island Sentinal
Conservation on Parade Aug. 3
News2018 Marine Debris Tent
“Conservation on Parade” is back! Enjoy the Free Family Event Sat. Aug. 3, 3-6 p.m. at the Parade Grounds. Enter through the Demonstration Garden.
Learn about local wildlife through hands-on discovery. Have an up-close visit with a bird of prey, touch turtles and snakes, meet frogs, see and touch feathers, furs and many other natural items.
Don’t miss face painting and an even bigger ice cream truck, and stop by for wine, beer and lemonade.
Also, in case you missed it, there is a second opportunity to see, “Take Back the Harbor”. The 39-minute film will screen in a continuous loop at the movie theater during “Conservation on Parade”. The documentary follows students from the Harbor School in New York City as they work in New York Harbor and travel to Fishers Island to learn about growing oysters as part of the Billion Oyster Project, an unprecedented program to restore once-bountiful oysters to New York Harbor.