The second osprey egg at our Middle Farms nest has hatched! On the morning of June 3, 2023, we were able to capture the second osprey chick on the web cam. Special thanks to Vicki Rafferty for helping to compile the highlights of screen captures and video segments below. We expect the third egg
The first osprey egg at our Middle Farms nest this year has hatched! On the morning of June 2, 2023, we were able to capture the first osprey chick on the web cam. The video clips below show adorable head bopping segments of the chick nestled in with mother and some of it's first
Osprey Teamwork After the eggs were laid in April, the osprey couple has worked together to incubate the eggs and continue to tend the nest at Middle Farms. Most often a single osprey is on the nest, but the video clips below capture some of the moments that the osprey have worked together at
Walking Paths at Middle Farms: Balancing Recreation and Conservation The paths through the grassland at Middle Farms are the most consistently used of the more than twelve miles of trails we maintain. We have made a number of changes in the paths that we hope strike a good balance between human use and conservation
Turtles of Fishers Island and the Surrounding Region by Kim Hargrave, education director of the Denison Pequotsepos Nature Center Hosted by HLFM director Pierce Rafferty This recorded illustrated talk, presented April 23, 2023 by Kim Hargrave takes a close look at the lives and habitats of Turtles who live
Chocomount Cove Property Restoration Station 1: Area around the large rock at the Entrance to Chocomount Trail Reclaiming a Desert: The conservation value in this area has been compromised by English ivy vines, glossy buckthorn trees and the honeysuckle vines and bushes. The conservation goals are to replace non-native honeysuckles
Honeysuckle Two species of honeysuckles have been growing in this location. The leggy bush, which is growing closer to the road, is Morrow's honeysuckle. Growing within the interior of this plot, is the vine honeysuckle, which has a paper-like bark and gold and silver flowers. Both are non-native and invasive. However, these honeysuckles
Glossy buckthorn Glossy buckthorn has been growing on Fishers Island for so long that most people think that it is a native - but it isn't. Growing throughout Eurasia and northern Africa, buckthorn was brought to the US during the1800s and planted as an ornamental and windbreak. It is a significant conservation problem.
English ivy (Hedera helix) Associated with legacy and prestige, English ivy has become one of the most prominent invasive plants in forests, especially near the coasts. As it has here, this exotic plant forms thick mats of groundcover, known as "ivy deserts", where other plants seem unable to compete. The mat blocks natural
Third osprey egg confirmed on Middle Farms nest Shortly after noon on April 30, 2023 the female osprey appeared to be having contractions. Around 12:08, she gets up and though it is difficult to see the first two eggs in the foreground, the new egg becomes more visible when she nudges it into the
