the Shipmans, the Hatch family, John Astor, and the University of 
Vermont. In 1981, The Nature Conservancy acquired the islands from the 
university and entered into a management agreement with High Peaks 
Audubon Society, Inc., to provide for protection and studies of the Four 
Brothers. In addition to colonial waterbirds, the islands also have nesting 
Canada Geese, Gadwalls, Mallards, Red-breasted and Common mer¬ 
gansers, Spotted Sandpipers, a variety of passerines, and American Black 
Ducks have nested historically. 
To carry out management duties. High Peaks Audubon employs a 
wildlife manager and warden(s), owns two marine workboats, and is 
responsible for sanctuary signs, patrols, an annual census, and bird-band¬ 
ing. Banding is done under Master-Station Permit 21553, with a total of 
21,750 waterbirds of ten species banded between 1982 and 1999. Census 
figures are provided to the Great Lakes Colonial Waterbird Census. 
OBSERVATIONS 
On the early afternoon of June 12,1999, a High Peaks Audubon band¬ 
ing and census team of 13, led by the author as wildlife manager, landed 
on the 2.4 acre Island "B", the southeast islet of Four Brothers. Here, 
guano and Dutch elm disease have killed the overstoiy of paper birch, 
American elm, and American basswood in recent decades, allowing 
dense thickets of young pin (fire) cherry and basswood to spring up. This 
successional growth provides nesting platforms for Cattle Egrets and 
Black-crowned Night-Herons, while Double-crested Cormorants use the 
higher remaining dead snags. 
Volunteer Lissa Richardson called our attention to three adult Glossy 
Ibis (Plegadis falcinellus) overhead. Although exciting, they were not 
entirely unexpected, since one had been seen flying from Shelburne 
Farms, VT, to an apparent roost on Four Brothers two years previously, 
on May 24,1997 (Carleton 1999). The three would drift northward in for¬ 
mation on the south wind, then repeatedly return to hang over a favored 
spot. Knowing the penchant of parent birds to keep watch when intrud¬ 
ed upon, we suspected they were incubating birds and their behavior 
might focus our search for one or two particular nests among so many. 
Most of the nests in that area still held sets of eggs, which we began 
examining and comparing. Three types were found. The smallest and 
palest elliptical light blue eggs measured about 45x30 mm, typical of 
Cattle Egret. Most, however, were more subelliptical and larger, about 
55x35 mm, and the familiar pale greenish or blue of Black-crowned 
The Kingbird 2000 March; 50(1) 
12 
