by: Libby Buck, Ecological Stewardship & Research Technician The Nantucket Christmas Bird Count went off without a hitch despite the addition of COVID-19. On count day, December 28th, 2020, the island was divided into eight sections. All the birds seen within that 24-hour period were to be recorded. There was concern during the planning of…
Read More
The Christmas Bird Count (CBC), one of the longest running citizen science projects in the world, is organized by the National Audubon Society. It was originally started in 1900’s by ornithologist Frank Chapman, who thought it was better to count the birds instead of hunting them on Christmas Day. This year, the Christmas Bird Count…
Read More
Every year the shorebird breeding season has its challenges and 2020 was no different. Fortunately for us, the shorebirds were unaware of Covid-19 and still continued to nest at their respective beaches across the island. From the 2020 preliminary data for Nantucket which includes Tuckernuck and Muskeget Islands, there was a total of 57 breeding…
Read More
Moonlight, warm waters, and high tides are the perfect conditions to bring in the one of the most mysterious marine animals to Nantucket shores. In late May through June, horseshoe crabs will start their journey from the the ocean floor to shoreline to lay their eggs. The females are noticeably larger in diameter as compared…
Read More
by: Libby Buck, Ecological Stewardship & Research Technician The National Audubon Society’s Christmas Bird Count just celebrated its 120th birthday, making it one of one of the longest running citizen science projects. Up until 1900, it was a Christmas tradition for hunters to go out on Christmas Day and hunt as many birds as they…
Read More
by: Libby Buck, Ecological Stewardship & Research Technician It is August and the days are slowly growing shorter and the end of summer is approaching. The shorebirds on Nantucket are getting ready to start their long journey south. I am happy to report our efforts to protect the endangered & threatened species this year have yielded some…
Read More
The Nantucket Conservation Foundation currently owns and maintains nearly one third of Nantucket’s open space. We know there are many birding hotpots within those 9,006 acres and we want to know what birds are being observed. The Science & Stewardship Department is looking to the local community and visitors for help with collecting this data.…
Read More
For February break Nantucket Conservation Foundation put together a fun family scavenger hunt for those who didn’t travel for vacation. We are happy to say this was extremely successful having almost 100 kids sign up! This free scavenger hunt was designed to get families outside and to explore six different properties owned by Nantucket Conservation…
Read More
It’s a well-known fact that most birds fly south for the winter. But what about our feathered friends that tough it out throughout the winter, how do they survive? Our backyard songbirds such as the Black-capped Chickadee or the Northern Cardinal survive by using instincts, species adaptations, and of course, with a little help from…
Read More
Cormac Collier, Executive Director of the Nantucket Land Council, has been named the new President & CEO of the Nantucket Conservation Foundation. Collier was selected after a nationwide search as a permanent replacement for former Executive Director Jim Lentowski, who retired in July 2018. “As we met with candidates from around the country, Cormac’s passion,…
Read More