I have resolved to thinking of Fishers Island as a National Maritime Refuge-and I am allowed that thought. It has nothing to do with old traditions, signs, or boundaries-just being aware and grateful of the unique habitat we have here on Island.
My hope is that others see the Island as a refuge for the remaining shorebird species that return here; after a long arduous journey- seeking sanctuary.
**Please take into consideration the damage vehicles can impact on our delicate coast line.
– A Snippet from The Field by Justine Kibbe May 31, 2018
Seeking Refuge & Critical Habitat
From the Field, Video SnippetsI have resolved to thinking of Fishers Island as a National Maritime Refuge-and I am allowed that thought. It has nothing to do with old traditions, signs, or boundaries-just being aware and grateful of the unique habitat we have here on Island.
My hope is that others see the Island as a refuge for the remaining shorebird species that return here; after a long arduous journey- seeking sanctuary.
**Please take into consideration the damage vehicles can impact on our delicate coast line.
– A Snippet from The Field by Justine Kibbe May 31, 2018
To Everything (Tern, Tern, Tern)
From the Field, Video SnippetsThere is a breeding season and a time to every purpose “under Heaven”
– The Byrds
I am humbled as I sat patiently, and “caught” this moment in The Field…male Common Tern courting its mate. Keep your eyes peeled for this “fly & plunge for minnows ritual” within Hay Harbor, Fishers Island.
– A Snippet from The Field by Justine Kibbe May 25, 2018
Shorebird Reunion!
From the Field, Video SnippetsI sat within the tidal pools along what I love to call Sanctuary of Sands west end; parallel to the runway here on Fishers Island. So happy to “report” what certainly appeared to me as an increase in this spring’s shorebird activity. Breeding and non-breeding plumage is visible on Ruddy turnstone, Killdeer and Black-bellied plover standing “Sentinel”.
** Please be mindful and leash dogs during this precious nesting time.
– A Snippet from The Field by Justine Kibbe May 24, 2018.
Black-bellied plover standing “Sentinel”
Field Notes, From the FieldShorebird Reunion!
I sat within the tidal pools along what I love to call Sanctuary of Sands west end; parallel to the runway here on Fishers Island. So happy to “report” what certainly appeared to me as an increase in this spring’s shorebird activity. Breeding and non-breeding plumage is visible on Ruddy turnstone, Killdeer and Black-bellied plover standing “Sentinel”.
** Please be mindful and leash dogs during this precious nesting time.
– from The Field by Justine Kibbe May 24, 2018.
2018 Spring Migratory Bird Count Nets Record Number of Birds!
NewsFIConservancy’s 2018 Spring Migratory Bird count, held May 6 in collaboration with the National Audubon Society, was a huge success! Three hundred birds, comprising 55 species, were recorded from one end of the Island to the other, compared with 45 species recorded last spring.
An overcast sky and the threat of rain did not deter a group of 13 birders in four vehicles, led by Adam Mitchell from University of Delaware. Following Audubon bird count rules, the group made 15 five-minute stops. At each timed stop, the birders would count birds and call out what they saw.
Sites with the greatest number of bird species included:
“It is likely that the increased number of birds in the Parade Grounds correlates directly with the removal of invasive plants,” Mr. Mitchell said.
Although 55 is the number for the official count May 6, a few dedicated birders informally added nine more species as they scanned the sky on the ferry ride to the Island May 5 and at an informal birding tutorial that afternoon.
Birders also reported hearing an American woodcock calling out on the Parade Grounds the night before the official count.
Photo by Kristen Peterson.
Recorded bird species, both official and unofficial:
Canada Goose
Mute Swan
Mallard
American Black Duck
Common Eider
Red-breasted Merganser
Ring-necked Pheasant
Common Loon
Great Cormorant
Double-crested Cormorant
Great Egret
Black-crowned Night-Heron
Osprey
Northern Harrier
Bald Eagle
Red-tailed Hawk
Killdeer
Greater/Lesser Yellowlegs
Herring Gull
Great Black-backed Gull
Common Tern
Mourning Dove
Chimney Swift
Belted Kingfisher
Downy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
American Kestrel
Blue Jay
American Crow
Fish Crow
Northern Rough-winged Swallow
Tree Swallow
Barn Swallow
Black-capped Chickadee
Tufted Titmouse
White-breasted Nuthatch
Winter Wren
Carolina Wren
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
American Robin
Gray Catbird
Northern Mockingbird
European Starling
Cedar Waxwing
Blue-winged Warbler
Black-and-white Warbler
Common Yellowthroat
Northern Parula
Yellow Warbler
Black-throated Blue Warbler
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Chipping Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco
Song Sparrow
Eastern Towhee
Northern Cardinal
Baltimore Oriole
Red-winged Blackbird
Brown-headed Cowbird
Common Grackle
House Finch
American Goldfinch
House Sparrow
Merlin
Hungry Point Harbor Seals
From the Field, Video SnippetsIt was a mirror-calm afternoon up east within Fishers Island Sound.
Typically this clan of seals will haul off and out by May’s end.
Based on my monitoring notes from past years; we can expect a mid- September “homecoming”.
– A Snippet from The Field by Justine Kibbe May 19, 2018
Mylar Menace
From the Field, Video SnippetsNeed I say more?….
– A Snippet from The Field by Justine Kibbe May 18, 2018
They’re back…
Field Notes, From the Field. . . and with a vengeance-Mylar balloons; the most insidious of debris creeping upon Fishers Island. Please promote BEST Practices of Stewardship! It only takes a few seconds to disentangle, deflate and dispose….
Respect & enjoy our unique marine environment for years to come.
This Morning – Up East is For the Birds
From the Field, Video SnippetsWarmth of May days on Fishers Island calls birds of a feather to enjoy “Cater” pillars under the Tent! I stopped to spy these squirming caterpillars blossoming as fast as the buds that surround them. Baltimore Orioles, Blue Jays, Chickadees and the Nuthatch are just a few birds that look forward to this “menu”.
So keep your eyes peeled!
To The Beat of the Downy Drummer
From the Field, Video SnippetsThis woodpecker snippet appears “wobbly” I know. But I wanted to share with folks just how filled with bird chatter the mornings on Fishers Island can be!
Up east on the bike path I quickly hopped off to catch this Downy drumming fiercely. These birds audibly mark their nesting territory during breeding season.
On such a quiet Sunday morning I could hear its rival pecking away down the road within woods by Chocomount.
– A Snippet from The Field by Justine Kibbe May 15, 2018