Pictures do not do justice to the amazing transformation along South Beach Road approaching the Parcourse FitCircuit. Individual stops along the circuit are now visible, as is access to South Beach in the distance.

Phragmites: A relentless enemy.  The towering reeds grow an inch apart and are choking the Island’s tidal marshes, overtaking native vegetation and leaving no room for ducks, herons and egrets to land. FIConservancy plans to fight back, starting in November.

A lone spotted sandpiper has returned to Fishers Island each spring for the past five years. This year, she may have brought a mate. Female spotted sandpipers arrive early at breeding grounds to establish and defend territory. The males incubate eggs and care for the young.

FIConservancy Naturalist Justine Kibbe reported: “As Fishers Island prepares for a very busy July and August, it’s wonderful to witness the rallying of community to protect our precious wildlife.”

Congratulations Fishers Island! The community is pleased to announce the arrival of four Piping Plover chicks in Sanctuary of Sands on the south side of the airport runway. Please continue to leash all dogs walking in the area.

FIConservancy’s 2019 Spring Migratory Bird Count took place Sun. May 19 under sunny skies. Eleven bird-watching enthusiasts traveled the Island from end to end, noting 56 species, surpassing 2018’s record number of 55. Justine Kibbe Photo

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.

It took half an hour of scurrying around her “scrape” (nest) for this piping plover to finally settle down, because five killdeer were being territorial. There are fewer than 2000 pairs of this “threatened” species on the Atlantic Coast.