GLOSSY IBIS NESTS ON FOUR BROTHERS, ESSEX COUNTY 
John M.C. Peterson 
RR1, Box 230 
Elizabethtown, NY 12932-9721 
ABSTRACT 
The history of colonial waterbirds on Four Brothers, Lake Champlain, 
in Essex County, NY, is documented for the past 150 years. The only colo¬ 
nial nesting species for the first century was Herring Gull, but diversity 
grew during the second half of the 20th Century. Owned by The Nature 
Conservancy and managed by High Peaks Audubon Society, the four 
islands now host eight species of colonial waterbirds, with Glossy Ibis the 
latest arrival. This is the first ibis colony in upstate New York and appar¬ 
ently the northernmost Glossy Ibis nesting worldwide and part of the 
northward range expansion of the species in eastern North America dur¬ 
ing the past half-cehtury. 
INTRODUCTION 
In the mid-19th Century, the Rev. G. Ingersoll presented Zadock 
Thompson, author of Natural History of Vermont, with Herring Gull eggs 
collected on "one of the islands called the Four Brothers situated five or 
six miles from Burlington" (Thompson 1853). For the next century this 
was the only colonial waterbird species nesting on the Four Brothers. The 
Herring Gulls were joined by Ring-billed Gulls in 1949 (Belknap 1955). 
Black-crowned Night-Herons were nesting in 1951 (VT Dept, of Fish & 
Game), the author found nesting Cattle Egrets in 1973, and Mrs. Carl 
Buchheister located the first nest of Great Black-backed Gull in 1975 
(Carleton 1999). Snowy Egrets were present in 1976 and again in 1984 and 
1985, but nesting was not proven. The next increase in the colony came in 
1984 when Double-crested Cormorants, present since 1951 (VT Dept, of 
Fish & Game), finally commenced nesting (Carleton 1999). Great Blue 
Herons joined in 1993 (Carleton 1999), bringing the list of colonial nest¬ 
ing waterbirds to seven species. 
The four small islands, with a total area of just 17.8 acres, are located 
in the Essex County, NY, waters of Lake Champlain and lie some two 
miles east of the tip of Willsboro Point. Previous owners have included 
The Kingbird 2000 March; 50(1) 
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