I stood north-side, looking out on a whitecap-less Sound and sensed winter had finally loosened its grasp on Fishers Island. I, too, had let go of referring to Alaska and chasing after bald eagles and snowy owls. Instead, I stood basking in the sun that felt warm at 35 degrees, noting the arrival of red-winged blackbirds and robins.

I was also thinking about wildlife monitoring these last months and was thankful for islanders and the times it really did feel like a neighborhood watch for wildlife. Just when a tiny island felt huge and I just didn't want to miss a single thing, folks would track me down and share their findings.

Like on a recent afternoon at 1 p.m. when I received a short text: "2 Snow Geese @ Big Club."

I was in a meeting at school and texted back: "Location?"

"Across from main building"

I joked: "Tell them to stay put."

While I wasn't able to get up east 'til after 3 p.m., the pair of snow geese appeared in flight and landed right on the golf course where they were previously sighted. I snuck up the icy hill, hunkered down behind a stone wall, jotted down my observations and texted, "Thank you!"

Justine Kibbe is the island naturalist for the Fishers Island Conservancy. A lifelong environmentalist, Kibbe spent six years on Alaska's Island of St. Paul among the native Unungan people to study fur seals. Now a Fishers Island resident, Kibbe offers weekly wildlife snapshots from her observations around the island in "My Neck Of The Woods." You can reach her at bjkibbe@gmail.com.