Oscar Thompson has spent the summer chasing turtles for his senior thesis at college. Not known for their speed, painted turtles can still be elusive in their natural habitat deep within the Vineyard's ponds.

Northern long-eared bats need help. If you see bats on the Vineyard, you are invited to complete a BiodiversityWorks survey about Island bats.

Carefully lifting up a panel of plywood near Oyster Pond in Edgartown on Monday, Liz Baldwin uncovered a rare sight: a black racer, the Island’s largest and least common snake species. It was her first encounter with the species, which has been in decline here since the 1970s.

On the mainland, northern long-eared bats are quickly becoming rare sights as they fall victim to a disease called white-nose syndrome. The disease has never been documented on Martha's Vineyard. The bats here are safe, at least for the time being.

Scouting and tracking willets is considered important seasonal work among Vineyard biologists. The study of the migratory shorebirds may also provide important information about climate change.

The bat detector sputtered and crackled from its post along Middle Cove Loop at Long Point Wildlife Refuge. It hadn’t yet made the telltale repeating noises that occur when an echolocating bat flies by, but by the time wildlife monitor Luke Elder returned to collect the device in the morning, numerous sonar squeaks had been recorded.