This Greater Yellow Legs has been returning to the sandy coves alongside Dock beach for several years now.
Its slender and elegant silhouette can be seen wading and actively foraging here.
From the Field, Video Snippet, Justine Kibbe, April 30, 2019
Quick sneak preview!
From the Field, Video Snippet, Justine Kibbe April 17, 2019
Into the Woods*
These particular weeks of Spring, before foliage takes to bud and bloom, be sure to peek into the woods and spy a Barred owl basking in the sunlight…
*West End, Fishers Island
From the Field, Video Snippet, Justine Kibbe, April 16, 2019
This juvenile (1st yr. plumage) Common Eider grabs a bite of aquatic plant growth from under the floating FIDCO dock, Silver eel Cove.
From the Field, Video Snippet, Justine Kibbe, April 11, 2019
Black-crowned night herons (BCNH)* appear to be everywhere these days, especially out from under the ferry dock on Fishers Island.
At about three years of age, this heron sports its “adult plumage”.
’Tis the breeding season, with two long, white plumes flitting in the breeze.
*Silver eel Cove
From the Field, Video Snippet, Justine Kibbe, April 11, 2019
Black-crowned Night Heron roosting this afternoon in treetops within Ferguson Museum Sanctuary, Fishers Island. At just about sunset, this nocturnal resident will forage for fish at Duck pond.
With remarks From the Field, this week marks the return of Great Blue Herons as well as Great Egrets, especially in coves northside.
Keep your eyes peeled…
From the Field, Video Snippet, Justine Kibbe, April 9, 2019
There is still a lot to learn about the lives of Piping Plovers during their winter migration. These delicate shorebirds can fly as far as the Gulf of Mexico before returning to the North Atlantic coast. With development and disappearing habitat, we can only imagine the effort these winged visitors expend to come home to this safe sandy spot on Fishers Island.
Although these two Piping Plovers are not banded, I’m grateful to see the “same pair” return after several years of monitoring.
*site fidelity
From the Field, Video Snippet, Justine Kibbe, April 6, 2019
With yesterday’s raising and removal of sunken fishing vessel “All for Joy”, and the discovery of now TWO Piping Plovers returning to safe sands parallel and south of Elizabeth Field Airport, my friend (feeling refreshed) reminds me there is always something good to “crow about”!
From the Field, Video Snippet, Justine Kibbe, Mar. 31, 2019
I find joy jotting and remembering the arrival and departure dates of the very few individual ravens and shorebirds: black-crowned night herons under the ferry dock, green herons sneaking within the old stone “Tennis Racquet”, American oystercatchers on Big Stony.
These years, there is such a need on-Island to provide safe sanctuary and healthy habitat for dwindling wildlife. I tell the kids that the animals themselves begin to recognize an trust those that care about their Natural world—that “they too, expect to see you”.
From the Field, Video Snippet, Justine Kibbe, Mar. 30, 2019
I returned this afternoon to Sanctuary of Sands to catch a snippet of this area’s first returning Piping Plover. Hopefully finding a mate, watching over chicks, and summering peacefully here.
From the Field, Video Snippet, Justine Kibbe, Mar. 28, 2019