Nature Notes Muskrat (Ondatra zibethicus) by Terry McNamara Muskrat swimming. Photo by Justine Kibbe. The muskrat may be the most common semi-aquatic mammal on Fishers Island, yet it is rarely observed. The first reaction you may have when encountering a muskrat is to identify it as a large rat. A well-fed mature
Pool Party for Spring Peepers Museum April 2020 Spring Peeper The wonders of nature never cease, and in our current circumstances time spent focusing on the natural world provides a welcome relief from the news. Spring has arrived and with it comes the nighttime sound that heralds the change in seasons: the
Photo by Tom Koerner/USFWS. (Lontra canadensis) by Terry McNamara The sight of a group, or “romp,” of otters crossing the bank of a pond with their playful, loping gait can’t fail to elicit a smile. Sleek and weasel-like, these carnivorous mammals have rich brown fur and grow to between three and four feet
Eelgrass dampening wave action, Barley Field Cove, F.I. Photo: seagrassli.org. What Is Seagrass, and Why Should We Care About It? by Elizabeth McCance Commonly mistaken for seaweed, seagrass is a flowering plant complete with roots, stems, and flowers that is adapted to life underwater. Globally, there are about 60 species of seagrass. The
American mink (Neovison vison). Photo by Pdreijnders from Wikimedia Commons American Mink (Neovison vison) by Terry McNamara Each year there are reported sightings of a chocolate to dark brown weasel-like animal about two feet in length with a bushy tail. Detailed observations mention white on the animal’s chin and throat and a tail
by Terry McNamara In last year’s newsletter we discussed the two most common snakes that you are likely to encounter on our island: the Northern Black Racer and the Eastern Garter Snake. There are two other species of snake that inhabit Fishers Island. You may have encountered the Eastern Ribbon Snake (Thamnophis s. sauritus). It
Excerpted from: Birds, Plants & Fish of Fort H.G. Wright by the late Edwin Horning [1998]. Silver Eel Cove: Island climate; plants, animals, and folks around the docks Docks on Silver Eel Cove with Pump House in background, circa 2001. “Silver Eel Cove” (where the Fishers Island ferries dock) was a pond before
Nature Notes by Terry McNamara Northern Black Racer adult When you walk on Fishers Island during the summer months, you’re likely to encounter a snake or two in the fields or open woodlands. Turn over a few rocks, and you might find a few more. You’ll probably get no more than the briefest
Nature Notes Excerpted from “Rocks, Plants, Birds and People of Fishers Island” [1999] by the late Edwin Horning Eastern Screech Owl Birds No Longer Nesting or Decreasing Barn Owl: This owl once nested in the old ice house on the shore of Middle Farm Pond. The last time that it nested there was
by Terry McNamara The crab species most of us are familiar with on Fishers Island is the green crab (Carcinus maenas). On the docks on the Fishers Island Sound side of the island, countless crabs have been hauled from the water with drop lines by youngsters. On the south side of the island these crabs
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F.I. Sketchbook 2005
