American Oystercatcher
The American Oystercatcher (Haematopus palliatus) is one of our focal species in the Audubon Alliance for Coastal Waterbirds. Many are now pairing off across Connecticut, finding the right place to start a nest next month. Last year our work helped the species make history! The 2015 population, consisting of 161 individuals that included 52 breeding pairs and 57 non-breeding individuals, was spread out over 31 different sites including barrier beaches and offshore islands. The breeding pairs successfully fledged an astronomical total of 64 chicks resulting in 1.23 (chicks/breeding pair)...
Read MorePiping Plovers Return
They’re backkkkk! The Piping Plovers (Charadrius melodus) have returned to Connecticut in the past couple of weeks. This individual was resting at Sandy/Morse Points in West Haven yesterday. Many of our sandy beaches have them dashing around after insects and aquatic invertebrate food along the water as they begin to claim territories and form pairs. There are more birds yet to arrive this spring, but our work in the Audubon Alliance for Coastal Waterbirds is well underway seven days a week right now. Please email ctwaterbirds@gmail.com for instructions on how you can become a U.S....
Read MoreString Fencing Dates – Volunteers Wanted!
Volunteers needed! Want an excuse to come bird with us and CT DEEP on the beach this April? Here it is… String fencing and signage erection dates for Connecticut beaches in spring 2016 are as follows and we need all the volunteers we can get! Wednesday, April 6th, 10:30 – Long Beach, Stratford Meet at the far west parking area. Monday, April 11th, 10:00 – Sandy/Morse Points, West Haven Meet in the parking lot. Friday, April 15th, 10:00 – Bluff Point, Groton Meet in the parking area and CT DEEP will shuttle people out to the beach. Remember that any and all volunteers...
Read MoreAAfCW Training Completed
On Saturday, March 12, the Audubon Alliance for Coastal Waterbirds (Audubon Connecticut and the Roger Tory Peterson Institute of Natural History), the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, and the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection completed successful training sessions for many of our fantastic past and new volunteer shorebird and tern monitors. Our collective staffs welcomed nearly 80 volunteers to Stratford Point, and thankfully we may end up near 100 regular monitors for the 2016 season. These citizen scientists and educators will hit the beaches come April,...
Read MoreWinter Raptor Internship
There are a number of bird species that call Chautauqua County their home. In particular, there are two species, Northern Harriers (Circus cyaneus) listed as ‘threatened’ and Short-eared Owls (Asio flammeus), listed as ‘endangered’ in New York. The Roger Tory Peterson Institute is now in its third year of helping the DEC conduct surveys for these birds. The primary focus of these surveys is to determine where Northern Harriers and Short-eared Owls are spending their time to roost and feed during the winter months. The Northern Harrier is rather distinctive from a long distance with a slim,...
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