Nantucket’s great outdoors beckon, and for many visitors and islanders alike the call of the wild is best served by a good pair of walking shoes and binoculars. Because of our vast open spaces and varied habitat, Nantucket is an ornithologist’s delight. Bird populations run the gamut from familiar robins, finches and chickadees to more exotic species like Snowy Owls, Gold and Bald Eagles and hummingbirds. In 1983, a Western Reef Heron, whose usual home is in western Africa, was discovered on the island to the great delight of birding enthusiasts, including the eminent Roger Tory Peterson. It was the first sighting of this bird in North America, and aficionados flocked to the island to catch a glimpse of the rare visitor.
A highlight of the birding year is the Annual Christmas Bird Count, where upwards of 140 different species are indentified and 250,000 to 450,000 birds are counted. “Quite often Nantucket has the highest species count in New England,” notes Ken Blackshaw, who has written several guidebooks, including the incisive “Birding Nantucket” with island birding legend Edith Andrews. He also explains that Nantucket’s location is one key to the variety of birds found here. “If you like migration, it’s a spot where you’re really aware migration is happening. This is basically the last stop before they fly out over the Atlantic.”
Several island organizations, including the Maria Mitchell Association, The Nantucket Conservation Foundation, the Trustees of Reservations, the Linda Loring Nature Foundation and Strong Wings, sponsor nature walks where Nantucket’s feathered friends can be spied. The Nantucket Bird Club also leads walks every Sunday morning, meeting at the Nantucket High School parking lot at 8 AM.