by Matt Pelikan | Aug 25, 2022 | Beach-nesting birds, Birds
The BiodiversityWorks shorebird management team is wrapping up its 11th season of monitoring beach-nesting birds at select sites across the island. The Vineyard’s beaches represent critical habitat for these birds and their well-camouflaged eggs and chicks. Our... 
by Luanne Johnson | Jul 22, 2022 | Beach-nesting birds, Birds
Black skimmers began nesting in Massachusetts in 1985, but always in low numbers (fewer than seven pairs). They first nested on Martha’s Vineyard (MV) in 2010 at Norton Point beach in Edgartown; however, they failed to fledge chicks that year. When a few pairs... 
by Angela Luckey | May 28, 2022 | Birds, Environmental Issues, Yard Biodiversity
Birds do not perceive glass the same way that humans do. At a young age, we develop visual cues from repeated interactions with the clear surface, this helps us to detect the glass and avoid bumping into it, well, most of the time. To birds, glass is not detectable... 
by Angela Luckey | Feb 22, 2022 | Birds
Promoting natural habitat is the best way to provide nesting opportunities for birds. Dead trees are an excellent source for nesting cavities. These snags also offer insects shelter where they complete their life cycle; many species are integral to decomposition and... 
by Angela Luckey | Jul 27, 2021 | Birds, Environmental Issues, Insects
Over the course of 50 years, populations of terrestrial insectivorous birds have declined by about 2.9 billion individuals (Tallamy & Shriver, 2021). Recent research suggests a strong correlation between these insectivorous bird declines and similar declines in... 
by Luanne Johnson | Apr 4, 2020 | Birds
Martha’s Vineyard Christmas Bird Counts (CBC) have recorded 224 different species since 1960, including 5 species seen during the count week but not on the count day. That is a shocking number, but it is important to note that the CBC tally in any given year...