American Oystercatchers Returning
It’s that time! The American Oystercatchers are returning to the Northeast, and today in Connecticut we had our first bird in Westbrook. This is three or four weeks later than the first Oystercatcher sighting occurs in some years, with the historic cold keeping migrants at bay until now. Other species are also arriving more slowly than expected. Now it is all systems go for the Audubon Alliance for Coastal Waterbirds as the threatened shorebird species is one of our focal birds. If you are going to be in Connecticut this spring and summer please email ctwaterbirds@gmail.com to sign up...
Read MoreBanded American Oystercatcher Discovered
Roger Tory Peterson Institute of Natural History President Twan Leenders recently returned from Bradenton, Florida where he was attending RTPI board meetings. In between sessions he made sure to find an hour or two for some bird surveys, especially targeting species relevant to active RTPI conservation projects. Our work as a partner in the Audubon Alliance for Coastal Waterbirds has us focused on the terns, long-legged waders and threatened shorebirds like the American Oystercatcher seen here. Did you happen to notice the silver federal band on the bird’s right leg? This would be very...
Read MoreWhite Ibis (Eudocimus albus)
As we remain stuck in the heart of this constant winter weather, with more record lows on the way, we nevertheless are looking towards spring despite the current conditions. Florida’s western shore, specifically Bradenton, reflects a nonstop warm season that is still to come for the rest of us in 2015. Twan took a lot of sensational shots of birds there last week, and we will share them with you now to begin to get us in the mood for March and the inevitable (even if it doesn’t feel like it!) warm-up. Here are some gorgeous White Ibis (Eudocimus albus) photos, a long-legged wader...
Read MoreWildLife Guard Crew Leader Summer Job Openings
In 2014, Bridgeport, Connecticut’s Pleasure Beach reopened to the public after nearly 20 years. The barrier beach is home to the federally threatened Piping Plover and state threatened Least Tern, among other imperiled waterbirds, as well as four state endangered plant species. To ensure that these birds have the opportunity to nest successfully and to maintain the barrier beach, a rare habitat in Connecticut, Audubon Connecticut created the WildLife Guards Program. The program trains, mentors, and employs 10 local high schools students and 2 crew leaders to monitor nesting birds and...
Read More“Leaving Only Footsteps? Think Again”
Here’s an interesting opinion piece in the New York Times that details how even passive recreation can have an unexpectedly high impact on wildlife. These are all issues we as scientists have dealt with at one time or another, from how placement of trails in preserves is vital to protect certain species and the fact they create unsuitable edge habitat, how passive recreation activities like hiking can have negative impacts in the same way something like snowmobiling could (or more, as they can occur in all seasons and not just winter), and that a day at the beach disrupts birds like...
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