š¦ Where to See Wildlife on Marthaās Vineyard
Seals, Shorebirds & Hawks on MV: Where to Go, When to Look, How to Watch
The next installment in our Fall Outdoors series! Where weāve been: hiking, beaches, biking, e-bikes, and outdoor sports, and today we are talking about WILDLIFE! Admittedly, Iām not a birdwatcher. A hobby for one day? I DO know how many people Google āwhale watching on MVā and āsharks on MVā and are disappointed at the results. But today I want to highlight the incredible options we DO have for enthusiasts, or aspiring enthusiasts!
š Watch Responsibly
On Marthaās Vineyard, the best wildlife moments are quiet and unhurried. Keep 50 plus yards from seals, and in spring and summer expect roped or fenced areas that protect nesting shorebirds. Enjoy the view from outside the lines and keep voices low. If you come across an injured or entangled marine mammal, do not intervene, note the location, and call the hotline listed on property signs or the NOAA site.
With that in mind, hereās where and how to look without getting in the way!
š¦ Seals
What you can see: harbor seal, gray seal.
Where to look:
Wasque & Cape Poge (Chappaquiddick): Best shore-based odds; seals often haul out on nearby sand shoals/islands. Note shark advisories; observe from shore only. Ferry access via On Time Ferry.
Norton Point barrier beach: Occasional haul-outs; access and rules change with shorebird season.
When: Fallāwinter strongest; calm, clear days help.
How: Arrive at mid/low tide with binoculars; scan sandbars and the sea surface for bobbing heads. Keep 50+ yards away; never approach pups.
Know before you go: Trustees manage Cape Poge/Wasque with changing OSV/pedestrian rules; check updates.
š¦ Beach-nesting & Shorebirds
What you can see: piping plover, least tern, common tern, roseate tern, American oystercatcher, black skimmer, sanderling, semipalmated sandpiper, dunlin.
Norton Point (Edgartown ā Chappy connector), Cape Poge/Wasque, Long Point Wildlife Refuge. Expect symbolic fencing/exclosures and rolling closures to protect nests and chicks.
When: AprilāAugust (nesting); late JulyāAugust also brings southbound migrants staging on beaches/pond edges.
How: Watch from outside fenced areas; stay low and still. If birds āalarm callā or dive, youāre too close.
Why closures matter: Federal/state guidance requires buffers and OSV restrictions when chicks are present.
On calm spring nights around new or full moon, horseshoe crabs spawn in quiet coves on Sengekontacket and Lagoon Pond. Watch quietly from shore and do not lift or flip them.
š¦
Osprey
Where to look: Sengekontacket and Felix Neck platforms, Lagoon Pond, Edgartown Great Pond, Katama Bay edges, Menemsha and Chilmark pond margins. The Felix Neck platform also has a live cam you can peek at before you go.
When to go: They return in late March and settle in by April, then fish and raise chicks through summer before heading out in September.
How to watch: Stand well back from platforms and keep movement slow. Scan the water for a hover and a plunge. Give families extra space once chicks are up on the rim.
The Vineyard is an osprey success story with high numbers thanks to decades of platform work, monitoring, and community support.
š¦
Raptors
What you can see: broad-winged hawk, red-tailed hawk, northern harrier, American kestrel, merlin, peregrine falcon, sharp-shinned hawk, Cooperās hawk.
Where to look:
Aquinnah/Gay Head Cliffs & Headlands: Classic island hawk-watch; geography and updrafts concentrate migrating birds.
Open country (Katama plains, farm fields): Hunt zones for harrier/kestrel on breezy days.
When: SeptāNov peak for southbound hawks; pulses after cold fronts.
How: Midday scanning on clear, windy days; look for soaring birds using cliff lift or quartering low over fields.
š¢ Diamond-backed Terrapins
Brackish salt-marsh edges of Sengekontacket Pond and Cape Poge (view from trails/boardwalks or on guided paddles).
When: Late springāsummer (basking, nesting).
Notes: Terrapins are state-listed as Threatenedāobserve quietly from a distance; never handle.
š¦¦ River otters
Where to look: Quiet coves and inlets of the great ponds (Edgartown Great Pond, Tisbury/Chilmark ponds) and wet corridors through the State Forest. Youāll more often spot sign (slides, scat/āspraints,ā tracks) than animals.
When: Year-round; best at dawn/dusk, esp. colder months.
How: Scan mud/sand edges for slides; sit still and wait. Local biologists confirm they travel widely (often at night) between ponds.
š Sea-Watching
What you can see: northern gannet, shearwaters, common eider, scoters, loons, gulls, humpback whale, fin whale, minke whale, dolphins, porpoises.
From shore: Aquinnah Headlands/Clifftop lookouts give the broadest sea view for passing seabirds and the chanceāon rare daysāto spot distant whale blows. (For dedicated whale-watching boats, youāll depart Cape-side.) Property access at the Headlands is via MV Land Bank/Town trails; no dogs year-round.
Etiquette & safety: Right whales require 500-yard standoff; never use drones near marine mammals.
š¦ Sharks are present offshore, but shore sightings are rare; observe posted advisories and stay out of the water near active seal haul outs
šGear & Timing
Bring simple gear and a patient plan. Binoculars at 8x or 10x, a wind layer, a hat, water, and if you want photos, a telephoto lens so you can keep your distance. Timing does most of the work, dawn and dusk are when many animals move, mid to low tide exposes sandbars for seal haul outs, clear breezy days after a front favor hawks, and steady wind helps sea watching. Before you head out, check the property page for day of updates, tides, erosion, and nesting can shift access from week to week, then build your plan around what is open.
š¦ Common Land Wildlife Youāll Actually See
š¦ White-tailed deer ā Extremely common at dawn/dusk along field/wood edges (Katama plains, Long Point approaches, State Forest perimeters). Drive carefully after sunset; they move in groups.
š¦ Wild turkeys ā Year-round flocks wander neighborhoods, fields, and trailheads (youāll see them in Oak Bluffs/Edgartown side streets and farm corridors). Give space; donāt feed.
š¦Ø Skunks ā Iconic MV residents; most active at dusk/night near villages, trash areas, and lawns. Keep dogs leashed; never approach kits. Often in downtown Oak Bluffs!
š¦ Bats ā On warm evenings, watch open edges near fields for bats feeding at dusk too!
š Credits & Further Reading
MV BiodiversityWorks monitors and protects island wildlife year-round, from beach-nesting birds to bats.
Trustees of Reservations: Cape Poge, Wasque, Long Point pages; Norton Point shorebird updates & OSV FAQs.
Mass Audubon: statewide shorebird/terrapin info
TrailsMV: official island trail app (Sheriffās Meadow Foundation).
Enjoy the wildlife of MV!