Island Wildlife

The island’s habitats

Martha’s Vineyard mixes protected conservation land, forests, barrier beaches, freshwater ponds and farm fields. With that much variety you run into wildlife all the time, even close to town, on the bike paths and in residential neighborhoods.

Animals you are most likely to see

Wild turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo)

Turkeys are the wildlife you will notice first. They travel in flocks, walk through neighborhoods, cross roads and feed along the edges of open fields. They are used to people, but fed turkeys get pushy and hold up traffic, so it is better to let them forage.

White-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus)

Common around West Tisbury, Edgartown Great Pond areas, and on quieter backroads. They are most active at dusk and dawn. Deer are a major host for ticks, which is one more reason to keep to the trails and wear repellent.

Raccoons (Procyon lotor)

Raccoons come out at night and are not shy. They go for loose trash, compost and pet food left outside, so in a rental it pays to latch the trash and bring food in overnight.

Striped skunk (Mephitis mephitis)

Martha’s Vineyard has one of the densest skunk populations in New England due to mild winters and abundant food sources. They are not aggressive and only spray in self-defense. If you meet one, stop and let it wander off.

Squirrels (Sciurus carolinensis)

Squirrels are everywhere in town, at the campground and in the woods, out in daylight and comfortable around people.

Snakes (all of them harmless)

Every snake on the island is harmless to people and useful to the place. They keep mice and voles in check, which matters on an island where the white-footed mouse carries the tick-borne diseases, and they feed the hawks and herons in turn. If you meet one on a trail, in a garden or under a board, the kindest thing is to leave it where it is, unhandled, and let it get on with its work.

Eastern milk snake (Lampropeltis triangulum)

Harmless and useful, since it eats rodents. You tend to find it near stone walls, warm pavement or sunlit rocks. There are no venomous snakes on Martha’s Vineyard.

Ring-necked snake (Diadophis punctatus)

Small and secretive, slate gray with a yellow or cream ring around the neck, and rarely longer than a ruler. It spends the day under boards, logs and flat stones and hunts at night for worms, slugs and salamanders. It is harmless, and if you lift a board and find one, it is happiest when the board goes back the way it was.

Birds

More than 300 bird species have been recorded on or migrating through Martha’s Vineyard (Mass Audubon data), so birdwatchers have plenty to look for in every season.

The easiest place to start is Felix Neck in Edgartown: osprey poles, a marsh and four flat trails, covered in our Felix Neck guide.

Osprey (Pandion haliaetus)

Ospreys arrive every spring and build large nests on man-made platforms near ponds. They dive into shallow water to catch fish. In spring and summer you can watch a pair on their nest platform on the Felix Neck osprey cam above. They head south in late summer and early fall, so from October until spring the nest on camera is usually empty.

Good places to look: Felix Neck, Sengekontacket Pond and Edgartown Great Pond.

Great blue heron and snowy egret

Both feed in the salt ponds and marshes, most often at low tide.

Shorebirds (sandpipers, plovers)

Nesting areas on the beaches are roped off in spring and early summer, and the signs are there to protect the eggs and chicks.

Coyote sightings and what research shows

Coyotes are not established on Martha’s Vineyard, but there have been several confirmed sightings:

• 2010: DNA from scat found on the north shore came back 97 percent coyote
• 2019–2023: trail-camera confirmation in Edgartown (May 2019), then Oak Bluffs (January 2020) and Aquinnah (January 2023)
• 2019–2024: coyotes recorded on private security and trail cameras (Katama, Oak Bluffs, South Shore)

Wildlife experts, including long-time MV naturalist Gus Ben David, have examined remains and trail camera photos. The current thinking is that they most likely swim over from the Elizabeth Islands (Naushon).

So far there is no verified breeding population on Martha’s Vineyard.

What could change if coyotes settle (based on other islands)

• likely reduction in skunk and raccoon activity
• possible decrease in rodent and goose populations
• minimal impact on adult deer (may take fawns)
• potential risk to free-range sheep and poultry farms

Research from state wildlife biologists shows that attempting to eradicate coyotes increases reproduction: smaller populations produce larger litters. The long-term tools are fencing and livestock guardian dogs rather than culling.

Where to watch wildlife

• Felix Neck Wildlife Sanctuary (Edgartown): trail loops, ponds, osprey platforms
• Long Point Wildlife Refuge (West Tisbury): dunes, a freshwater pond, shorebirds
• Sengekontacket Pond (Oak Bluffs / Edgartown): ospreys, egrets, herons
• State Forest and the backroads: deer at dusk

Wildlife by season

• Spring: peak bird migration and the ospreys coming back
• Summer: turkeys everywhere, and shorebirds
• Fall: the raptor migration and monarch butterflies
• Winter: owls and waterfowl

Watching without disturbing

• Feeding wildlife does more harm than good
• Marked trails keep you clear of nests and dens
• A zoom lens beats walking closer
• Animals relax when they have room and a way out

Logging your sightings

If you want to log what you see or check an identification, researchers use two databases:

• eBird (Cornell Lab): bird sightings and migration tracking
• iNaturalist: photo-based species identification and mapping