We’re sending a big thank you to FI School teacher Adam Murray and his group of 
hardworking students for building two beautiful Aldo Leopold benches for the Fishers Island Conservancy and the H.L. Ferguson Museum and Land Trust.
These benches were built in honor of Aldo Leopold, a pioneering conservationist whose work continues to inspire people to connect with nature and care for the land. His classic bench design invites quiet observation and a deeper appreciation of the natural world.
One bench can be found in the Museum Sanctuary and the other is placed at the Parade Grounds, where it offers a front row seat to the island’s birdlife and open space.
A huge thank you to the students who made this project possible: Kris, Jacob, Theo, Connor, Kyle, Lil, Kyzen, Madelyn, Antonio, and Cyllus. Your craftsmanship and care have added something truly special to these spaces.
If you find yourself nearby, take a seat and enjoy all that nature has to offer on Fishers Island.
This past wednesday, FI Conservancy hosted our first Shorebird Pre-Fencing Day to prepare for the return of the endangered Piping Plover and the threatened Least Tern. These small shorebirds nest directly on open sand, which leaves their eggs and chicks highly vulnerable to disturbance. Symbolic fencing helps reduce these risks by clearly marking 
nesting areas to keep people and pets at a safe distance.
Fencing was successfully installed at three key sites across the island: Eighth Hole Beach, South Beach, and Airfield Beach. Visitors are now reminded that dogs must be leashed to avoid disrupting or damaging nesting sites. The fencing will remain in place through the shorebird
breeding season but will be removed later in the summer once nesting is complete.
We are grateful to the volunteers and partners who joined us for this effort. Thank you to Michele, Nate Chaves, Jessica NeJame from the Henry L. Ferguson Museum, Kristen Peterson, Stephanie Hall, and FIC President Tom Sargent. Special thanks to Sophia Brown and Sean Wiedemann from the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, whose guidance was essential as we relaunch the Long Island Colonial Waterbird Survey efforts on Fishers Island.
Protecting shorebirds is a community effort. Thank you to everyone who came out to support this important work. Together we are helping safeguard Fishers Island’s shoreline and the wildlife that depends on it.
Doug Tallamy is no stranger to Fishers Island. A longtime supporter of our mission, he has visited the island multiple times, leading tours of the Parade Grounds and inspiring residents to rethink how their landscapes can support the natural world. His message is simple but transformative: what we plant directly shapes the health of our ecosystems!
In a recent New York Times article, Tallamy outlines four ecological goals every landscape should aim to fulfill:
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Manage the watershed
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Support pollinators
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Bolster a viable food web
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Sequester carbon
These four principles are central to the work we are doing through habitat restoration, native plant demonstration gardens, invasive species removal, and community education. Like Tallamy, we believe that every yard and every effort counts.
Tallamy encourages small, achievable steps, such as planting keystone native species like oaks or goldenrod, replacing invasive plants, and rethinking the role of lawn in residential landscapes. These changes can transform private properties into powerful tools for conservation.
Whether you’re maintaining a home garden or caring for larger green spaces, this article is a valuable resource for anyone looking to align their landscape with nature!
Read the full article: The Four Ecologically Crucial Things You Should Do in Your Garden (NYT)
April 9, 2025
Article written by Margaret Roach
Feature photo by Rob Cardillo for The New York Times
Sign being installed on symbolic fencing by Anna White
As our tiniest visitor, the endangered Piping Plover, returns to Fishers Island’s shores this spring, the Fishers Island Conservancy is preparing to install symbolic fencing at known nesting sites. These small shorebirds lay their eggs directly on open sand, making them extremely vulnerable to disturbance. To protect them and give them the best chance at a successful breeding season, FIC will kick off the season with Pre-Fencing Day on Wednesday, April 9.
Symbolic fencing is a simple yet critical step that helps reduce disturbance from people and pets by clearly marking sensitive nesting areas. This protection is not just for Piping Plovers but also serves as nesting habitat for Least Terns, which are listed as threatened in New York State. These birds depend on undisturbed beach habitat to successfully nest and raise their young.
This work is part of the Long Island Colonial Waterbird Survey (LICWS), a statewide monitoring and protection program coordinated by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. We are excited to partner with Sophia Brown from NYSDEC as we relaunch LICWS efforts on the island. Fishers Island falls within Region 1 of the NYSDEC, which includes Suffolk County and nearby coastal islands.
We invite anyone interested in helping to join us on Wednesday, April 9th at 10:30 AM outside the FI Community Center. We encourage volunteers to bring work gloves and dress for the weather.
Come lend a hand and help us protect our islands shoreline and the shorebirds that call it home!
Check this out—the Cornell Lab of Ornithology has released a powerful new report showing that bird populations across the U.S. are continuing to decline. One-third of species are now considered high or moderate concern, and the losses are especially steep for grassland and forest birds.
Here on island, we are working hard to monitor and protect local bird populations through seasonal surveys, habitat restoration, and long-term conservation planning. Our island plays a key role in the Atlantic Flyway, providing critical stopover and nesting habitat for both migratory and resident birds.
Protecting birds means protecting the health of our entire ecosystem. We encourage everyone in the community to take a moment to read this important article and stay connected to the bigger picture.
Read the full article from the Cornell Chronicle here -> State of America’s birds: Population declines continue
Announcing the results of the Fall 2024 Migratory Bird Count
We are excited to share the official count of bird species encountered during our annual Fall 2024 Bird Count. Despite a high-pressure system that limited activity, we observed 45 species—well above the average of 39.9 species recorded in previous fall surveys. This year’s count proved to be a unique one, with a notable focus on birds of prey.
Historically, our fall migration reports have shown low counts of raptors, but this year was an exception. Sharp-shinned hawks, merlins, American kestrels, and bald eagles were all observed, alongside the usual sightings of ospreys. It was truly thrilling to witness these predators making their migration across the island.
In addition to the raptors, large mixed flocks of juvenile seagulls were observed moving eastwardly across the island during the official count, having been spotted on the west side the evening prior.
However, some species were notably absent this year—no swallows were observed, and only a few sparrows made appearances. While this is unusual, it highlights the ever-changing dynamics of fall migration.
Why Bird Counts Matter
Bird counts play an essential role in understanding and preserving the rich biodiversity of our island. By documenting avian species year after year, we gain invaluable insights into the health of our island’s ecosystems. These efforts inform our conservation strategies, ensuring a sustainable future for both the island’s bird populations and our community.
Here’s the list of species we encountered in our Spring 2024 Migratory Bird Count.
Thank you to all who participated.
| Fall 2024 Bird Count |
|---|
| American crow |
| American goldfinch |
| American kestrel |
| American redstart |
| American robin |
| Bald eagle |
| Barred owl* |
| Belted kingfisher |
| Black-capped chickadee |
| Black-crowned night heron* |
| Blue jay |
| Canada goose* |
| Carolina wren |
| Cedar waxwing |
| Common grackle |
| Common loon* |
| Common eider |
| Double-crested cormorant |
| Downy woodpecker* |
| Eastern towhee |
| European starling |
| Fish crow |
| Gray catbird |
| Greater black-backed gull |
| Great blue heron* |
| Great crested flycatcher |
| Great egret |
| Hairy woodpecker |
| Herring gull |
| House finch |
| House wren |
| Least flycatcher |
| Least sandpiper |
| Mallard |
| Merlin |
| Mourning dove |
| Mute swan |
| Nashville warbler |
| Northern cardinal |
| Northern flicker |
| Northern harrier |
| Northern mockingbird |
| Osprey |
| Palm warbler |
| Red-bellied woodpecker |
| Red-tailed hawk* |
| Ruby-throated hummingbird |
| Surf Scoter* |
| Saltmarsh sparrow* |
| Snowy egret* |
| Sharp-shinned hawk |
| Solitary sandpiper |
| Song sparrow |
| Tufted titmouse |
| White-breasted nuthatch |
| White-eyed vireo* |
| Yellow warbler |
