04.23.2021 Around the Island Mashomack Musings: Bluebirds come back strong Few species have come back from the brink of extinction. The Eastern bluebird is one of them. But it wasn’t sheer luck that saved this bird. It was a...
05.19.2020 Around the Island Mashomack Musings:The vanishing toad Some animals go unnoticed until they’re gone. Throughout the spring and early summer, frog choruses are so ubiquitous across Shelter Island they become background noise. But what if the...
05.03.2020 Around the Island Mashomack Musings: Muskrats — What’s in a name? When it comes to names, some animals seem to have drawn the short end of the stick. Muskrat roughly translates to “smelly rat.” The first half of their name...