Creature Features at the Ocean
Children's Program
This popular Children's Museum of Southeastern Connecticut family program turns all participants into seaside nature detectives. Join us as we explore animals and their special adaptations for living in water and on land. Wednesday, July 11, 2012 ~ 2 p.m. at South Beach Program limited to 20 people. Advance registration required. Suggested donation $5.Peek into a Pond
Children's Program
Get mucky as we discover what creatures are living in our ponds. We'll have nets and buckets so you can take your best shot at catching frogs, tadpoles, fish, insects and more! Wednesday, July 18, 2012 ~ 2 p.m. at The Museum Suggested donation $5.“Muskeget to Matinicus: Plant Diversity on New England’s Coastal Islands.”
An illustrated lecture by Robert T. McMaster, Professor of Biology, Holyoke Community College, Holyoke, Massachusetts.
– The HLFM's 2012 Smith Vaughan Lecture on a Natural History Subject.
Sunday, July 22, 2012. Time: 4 p.m. Place: Union Chapel.
A Different February in 1977
A Different February in 1977 by Pierce Rafferty February 2012 In the midst of this long run of unseasonably warm weather, it seems safe to turn the clock back 35 years to a winter on Fishers Island that was far less hospitable. Late January and early February 1977 featured bone-chilling temperatures that generated ice floes
The West End Ice House
The West End Ice House by Pierce Rafferty One of the first buildings E.M. & W. Ferguson constructed following their purchase of most of Fishers Island in 1889 was the West End Ice House, recorded as “Building No. 7” on their ledgers. Built in 1892, it was located adjacent to West Harbor across from today‟s
Owls of Fishers Island
2010 Nature Notes For a relatively small island, Fishers has a thriving owl population. Owls are sighted frequently and often heard calling at dusk and during the night. In southern New England, the Barred Owl (Strix varia) is the most common large owl. This holds true on Fishers Island as well and many of us have seen or heard this owl with its distinctive eight-note call and/or its several variations.
The Wood Warblers: Sprightly ‘Butterflies’ of the Bird World
2009 Nature Notes The month of May brings with it the assurance that spring is fully underway. The landscape is fresh and green and the woodland wildflowers make their appearance, capitalizing on the sunlight that filters to the forest floor. Insects, some more welcomed than others, reappear.
Vernal pools – habitats that support unique biological communities
2008 Nature Notes During the first warm rainy nights in late winter or early spring, a ritual occurs throughout the woodlands of the northeast, including Fishers Island. This is the return of amphibian species to their breeding pools.
Horseshoe Crabs (Limulus polyphemus)
2007 Nature Notes During June, a careful look at some of the beaches on the north side of Fishers Island will reveal numerous tiny exoskeletons of one of the oldest creatures still living today, the Horseshoe Crab (Limulus polyphemus).
