Last week we finished string fencing and signage operations for the Audubon Alliance for Coastal Waterbirds on our Connecticut beaches. We had a tremendous volunteer turnout at some of the most difficult and critical sites including Sandy/Morse Points in West Haven, Bluff Point State Park in Groton, and Long Beach in Stratford. It was a gorgeous April day for this work at Long Beach, and most of it was completed in only a few hours thanks to the terrific help.
First we carry out and hammer in stakes around important nesting areas and then string them off to protect nesting birds and sensitive habitat
Bright flagging is added to the string to make it more visible to both people and birds
Signs are erected to let beachgoers know what this is all about
Laura Saucier, Wildlife Biologist from the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, hard at work
Stratford’s Long Beach is a vital barrier beach protecting the Stratford Great Meadows Marsh and providing a home to numerous rare or endangered plants and animals – thankfully we can share the beach with all of this wildlife and coexist peacefully
This work was completed just in time as we now have the first Piping Plover and American Oystercatcher nests of 2016 appearing at multiple locations in Connecticut. Our volunteer monitors and staff are hard at work educating the public and surveying for these birds seven days a week. We are also looking forward to the return of the terns as both Least and Common Terns should be back in the state around May 1. It has been difficult to establish viable Least Tern breeding colonies in Connecticut in recent years, but we will be vigilant and do our best to help all of these birds have the most successful nesting season that they can. If you would like to join this effort as a shorebird and tern monitor please email us at ctwaterbirds@gmail.com today, and thanks again to all of our volunteers!
Scott Kruitbosch
Conservation & Outreach Coordinator
