Block Island – Island of the Great Spirit

Located nine nautical miles off the coast of Rhode Island, Block Island stands firm as one of the most beautiful islands in New England. This was my fifth trip with Mass Audubon’s travel program and my first time ever visiting Block Island.

As the Travel and Certificate Program Manager, Scott Santino oversees this Mass Audubon program and frankly does a fantastic job of planning trips and scouting out all of the eBird hotspots for birding groups like ours. Not only does he possess a sixth sense for finding the best birds around, but Scott is also adept at scouting out unique, locally-owned Inns, motels and eateries.

The Niantic tribe, later merged with the Narragansetts, were the first inhabitants of Block Island as evidenced by remains that date back thousands of years. In Niantic, the original name of the island Manisses meant “little island of the Great Spirit”. The word Manitou means “Great Spirit” in several Algonquin languages.

According to Santino, about 40 percent of the island is set aside for conservation, and much of the northwestern tip of the island is an undeveloped natural area and resting stop for birds along the Atlantic flyway.

Photo by Eric Schultz.

Home to many a commercial fishermen, a variety of restaurants on Block Island serve some of the best seafood in New England. Food establishments on the island serve everything from tasty hamburgers with onions and cheese to mouth-watering mussel and lobster dishes. Our group particularly enjoyed dining at Dead Eye Dick’s. (The name hails from a Kurt Vonnegut novel of the same name). The seafood and pasta is super fresh and the servers friendly and accommodating. My arugula and radicchio salad with strawberries was downright yummy.

Through the rain, wind and cold, our group plods and presses on and, along the way, we find some special birds.

Nobody said it would be easy, they just promised it would be worth it. – Dr. Seuss

At the airport, a lone Buff-breasted Sandpiper forages in the grass alongside some Pectoral Sandpipers. Unlike most shorebirds, the Buff-breasted SP prefers grasslands over the seashore. According to the American Bird Conservancy, the Buff-breasted Sandpiper breeds in the Arctic Circle and winters in Bolivia, Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay. Like the American Golden Plover, it is a champion long-distant migrant, traveling some 3,000 miles on its journey.

Later, we spot Great Cormorants at Sandy Point. Take note of the larger size of the Great (vs. the more common Double-crested) as well as the white and yellow patches on its chin.

Near shore, a playful Grey Seal rests in calm waters.

On Saturday, Martha and Scott take us to Andy’s Way on the edge of the Great Salt Pond to find a diversity of shore birds foraging on mud flats at low tide.

American Oystercatcher

Mohegan Bluffs grace the island, as their large cliffs descend to the sea. Some Seagrass in front of the bluffs.

On a wet and rainy Saturday we bird by car, rolling down our windows when we find a beauty like this one sitting on top of an unused telephone pole – a Merlin.

The Merlin is a small falcon that feeds primarily on small songbirds. This female or immature bird has a brown body and yellow around its eyes and lores.

One of my favorite birds is the Eastern Towhee. And they just happen to be all over the island on this day! One bird pops up on a branch as soon as we head into Rodman Hollow. It is nearing the end of our trip, and he is like the caramel in a caramel latte (or, icing on the cake).

Eastern Towhee

On this particular trip Martha Gach, of Mass Audubon’s Broadmeadow Brook sanctuary, joins us as co-leader and fellow staff naturalist. She tells us that no street numbers or addresses exist on Block Island. Because there are no regular addresses, Martha explains, the EMT and Fire Departments would have no way of finding people in an emergency, so they have assigned each home and business what they call “a Fire Number.”

Below is the North Light at sunrise.

To my fellow Block Island travelers and birders – this is for you. It is a wonderful thing to make new friends with like-minded individuals who, like me, care very much about nature, wildlife and conservation. Not only do you care, but you take action on behalf of what you care about. You are all Nature Heroes!

Group shot at Rebecca’s – Photo by Eric Schultz.

Photo by Eric Schultz.

A final farewell from the ferry … Goodbye, Block Island … until we meet again!

Photo by Eric Schultz.

Thank you for tagging along on my adventures.

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Diana is a freelance writer who has published articles in AAA Northern Explorer Magazine, The Concord Monitor, Windham & Salem Magazine and other publications.