Citizen Science
Sign up for one of the Henry L. Ferguson Museum Land Trust’s many citizen science projects and see the natural world around you through a new lens!
We collect data year-round to improve our understanding of the flora and fauna on Fishers Island. Citizen science volunteers advance this research by helping with data collection and interpretation. For more information or to help with any of these projects, please contact Land Trust Stewardship Coordinator Jessica NeJame at jnejame@fergusonmuseum.org.
In 2020 a group of 15 bird watchers got a perfect day for migrating hawks and songbirds (and a few Monarch butterflies and dragonflies) – Northwest winds following a front.
Photo by Pierce Rafferty
Citizen Science Volunteer Opportunities
Peent Patrol
American Woodcock are elusive birds. During their breeding season, the number of woodcock in an area can be determined by listening for their distinctive “peent” mating call. From April 15 to May 15, volunteers on this project drive across the Island just after sunset, listening for the sound of calling woodcock.
PHOTO CREDIT: American Woodcock, Ramos, Keith/USFWS, Public Domain
Wildlife Cameras
Wildlife cameras are located on land trust parcels across the island, enabling us to observe animals in their natural habitat. Reviewing this footage for wildlife sightings will provide a glimpse into the lives of animals like deer, coyote, owls, and raccoons, and will help improve our understanding of Fishers Island’s fauna.
PHOTO CREDIT: Coyote in Dave Denison’s garden on the Hay Harbor Club Golf Course, August 24, 2018
Photographed by Terry McNamara’s Wildlife Cam
Osprey Observations
Keep an eye out in March to try and win the honor of spotting the first returning Osprey of the year! Additionally, citizen scientists monitor platform nests across the island, tracking eggs and fledglings.
PHOTO CREDIT: Family lunch at the Compost Station nest. Two large chicks enjoy freshly served fish. Her mate stands closely by.
Photo by Todd McCormack
Bird Counts
Do you already keep a list of birds that you’ve spotted on Fishers Island, or would you like to start? We encourage you to share this data with the Museum so that we can include it in our annual Fishers Island bird sightings report. This information allows us to track what species are present or absent year after year.
PHOTO CREDIT: Great Horned Owl mother on nest near Brickyard Road.
Photo by Todd McCormack
Fishers Island Biodiversity Project
iNaturalist is an app that can help you identify plants, animals, and fungi. When you use the app, AI will attempt to identify the organism that you observed. By uploading photos, your observation will be reviewed by citizen scientists and researchers around the world who will also chime in to help you identify a given organism. You can also review other people’s observations and provide your input on an ID! Observations made on Fishers Island are automatically uploaded to the Fishers Island Biodiversity Project, providing an ongoing record of what species are present here.
MyCoast New York
MyCoast provides a platform for citizen scientists to document changing coastlines. In New York, projects include tracking and documenting storm damage, flooding, and litter on or near the coasts. It’s easy to participate in this project via the MyCoast app.
Want to volunteer your time and skills but nothing on this list caught your eye?
Reach out to us and let us know how you want to help! In addition to our stewardship activities, there is plenty to be done when it comes to outreach, education, administration, and other projects.
