Unintentional Disturbances Threaten Waterbirds
There are a number of activities that can unintentionally scare, disturb or even threaten the survival of our waterbirds throughout the spring and summer seasons. Even a person with good intentions can fail to realize how sensitive a bird like the Piping Plover is, feeling threatened by dogs on the leash as they still see them as a predator invading their territory, making birds more prone to abandoning the area, wasting valuable energy or separating them from eggs or young, increasing mortality. Most beaches in Connecticut ban all dogs during the warm seasons in consideration of public...
Read MoreElementary School Students Saving Birds
Last year the Audubon Alliance for Coastal Waterbirds helped to teach elementary school children about some of Connecticut’s most imperiled avian species, ensuring that they learn about why it is so important to share the shore with these conservation-priority waterbirds. Respecting wildlife is a fundamental aspect of our species stewardship of the Earth – at least if we want to survive on it! These students gave back to their world by creating wonderful, unique art to teach and inspire beachgoers as they flock to the shore for the summer. You can see some of these signs focused...
Read MoreSnowy Egrets feeding under the clouds
I took these photos earlier in the week while conducting surveys in coastal Connecticut for our work in the Audubon Alliance for Coastal Waterbirds. It was a warm and cloudy day with calm but soon to be increasing winds ahead of a cold front. The southerly flow made for a quieter morning in terms of passerine migrants but these feeding Snowy Egrets (Egretta thula) kept me busy. The Snowy Egret is listed as “threatened” under the Connecticut Endangered Species Act. While we as a society no longer hunt birds like these beautiful long-legged waders to adorn our clothing with their...
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