Sanctuary of Sands, Fishers Island.
Note the distinct yellow beak, white forehead and dark primaries (wing feathers) during this adult breeding time: March thru August.
PLEASE continue to kindly leash all “brigades” of dogs within Parade Grounds, welcoming the Least tern’s safe return to our Island.
From the Field, Field Note, Justine Kibbe, May 16, 2019
I’ve never seen anything like it! An actual blue jay migration!*
It all started Saturday May 11 at 10:45 a.m. Just a trickle at first, bright and bold Blue jays coursing over Silver Eel Cove. Then a steady stream of at least 40 noisy migrants flooded into the woods. Feathered crests bobbing on branches, their vocal cacophony swelled.
Community observations arrived shortly thereafter: Jackie Williamson up east had a dozen at her feeder by noon, and I saw another 2 dozen at 3 p.m., while bicycling to the Village Market.
Always grateful for remarks From the Field: Pierce Rafferty reported 16 Blue jays at his feeder May 14 at 6 a.m., and Marlin Bloethe captured and generously shared pictures of the initial landing.
* “A small proportion (Cornell estimates 20%) of the US blue jay population migrates south for the winter, whereas the majority of blue jays are year-round residents,” said entomologist Adam Mitchell, Ph.D.
“My guess is that storms moving northeast in early May, followed by a cold front, may have caused the jays migrating along the coastline to stopover on Fishers Island. This may be a boon for the Island in the future, as many species of bird will recall high-quality stopover sites when they migrate again. So we may want to be on the lookout for the jays next time for the fall migration.”
From the Field, Field Note, Justine Kibbe, May 15, 2019
The Common tern.*
You’ll see “courting” as these birds dive, fish and feed prospective mates. The breeding adult has a dark wedge of primary wing feathers (barely seen here) that differs from the Least tern, which also has a yellow beak, not orange.
*Ferry Slip, Fishers Island
From the Field, Field Note, Justine Kibbe, May 9, 2019
…pours forth…
From the Field, Field Note, Justine Kibbe, May 9, 2019
Blue jays and other members of the crow family are notorious egg-stealers. You’ll hear these bandits particularly within pines at the old naval station and piney woods approaching “Gray Gulls” along the Recreational Path.
Fort Wright, Fishers Island
From the Field, Field Note, Justine Kibbe, May 9, 2019
It took half an hour of scurrying around her South Beach “scrape” for this piping plover to finally settle down, because five killdeer were being pesty. There was a bit of territorial “drama”, before she returned to her—hopefully—clutch of eggs.
A piping plover pair returned to Fishers Island in early April. By early May the female was nesting on her “scrape” in the Sanctuary of Sands area of South Beach. Sandy-colored feathers help her to disappear into the background, particularly important since piping plovers are a “threatened” species.
There are fewer than 2000 pairs of piping plovers on the Atlantic Coast. Support our precious wildlife. Kindly continue to leash all dogs.
Sanctuary of Sands, West End, Fishers Island.
From the Field, Field Note, Justine Kibbe, May 7, 2019
