Archives

2023 Shorebird Season is a Wrap!

August 29, 2023

Gracie Bell, Seasonal Shorebird Technician This year, Nantucket, Tuckernuck, and the Muskeget Islands collectively shared a total of 76 breeding Piping Plover pairs, an increase of 1 pair from last…

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Crab Spiders (Not Spider Crabs!) of Nantucket

August 15, 2023

If you’ve spent some time around Nantucket’s marshes and harbors, you’ve probably found a spider crab or two, but did you know that crab spiders—yes, crab spiders—can also be found on Nantucket? Not to be confused with the similarly named crustacean, crab spiders are usually found on or near flowers, waiting for their next meal. This can include bees, butterflies, ants, and more—crab spiders aren’t picky!

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Bumble Bees of Nantucket: Life Cycle and Ecology

July 18, 2023

If you take a walk at Windswept Bog while the roses and irises are blooming or venture out to Head of the Plains while the bearberry and blueberries are in flower, chances are you’ll be greeted with the delightful hum of bees! Native bees are the true unsung heroes!  In addition to bumble bees and carpenter bees, the most well-known native bees, there are also thousands of species of other native bees, including squash bees, sweat bees, digger bees, mason bees, leafcutter bees, and carder bees.

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Pond Management Progress at Capaum and Gibbs Ponds

May 15, 2023

The management of freshwater ponds that abut our protected conservation lands has been an increasing area of focus over the past several years for the Nantucket Conservation Foundation’s Science and…

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They’re Back! But Did They Even Leave-?

March 14, 2023

Although it is only March, our Science and Stewardship Department staff have been busy hiring and gearing up for the arrival of our seasonal ecology staff and the start of…

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Whoooo’s on Nantucket?

October 28, 2022

Over the next few days, there will be Halloween celebrations happening around the island with lots of spooky decorations that often include wildlife themes. At this time of year, bats…

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Mr. Fowler’s Toad

September 16, 2022

As NCF staff worked together to weed the native plant garden at our office on Cliff Rd in mid-July, we were greeted by a most unexpected visitor – Maeve Kelley,…

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Climate Change Awareness Month with the Nantucket Conservation Foundation

August 30, 2022

For the past few years, the island of Nantucket has officially recognized September as Climate Change Awareness Month – a time to explore, understand and raise awareness about how climate…

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A Whimbrel’s Journey

August 25, 2022

By Max Chalfin-Jacobs Every fall on Nantucket, millions of shorebirds make their way South for the winter. Birds that nested in the high Arctic tundra in Canada and Alaska journey…

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Nesting Shorebird Season 2022….It’s a Wrap!

August 5, 2022

Summer is certainly still in full swing here on Nantucket, with plenty of warm, sunny beach days ahead before the arrival of autumn. But for those of us who keep…

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