Audubon Alliance for Coastal Waterbirds update #8

This is the eighth update by the Audubon Alliance for Coastal Waterbirds (AAfCW) for the 2012 season. It includes reports of Piping Plover, American Oystercatcher, Least Tern, and Common Tern received from 12:00 p.m. on April 30 through 12:00 p.m. on May 7 with sightings of birds spanning April 29 through May 7 by our staff and volunteers.

Informational updates:

The terns have returned to Connecticut, and with them come additional responsibilities in monitoring. We need all of the data and information on Least Tern and Common Tern, and much more rarely Roseate Tern, that you can provide to us, just as you do with Piping Plover and American Oystercatcher. These are priority species that should be tracked in an identical way. We hope we will end up with many tern colonies that require our monitoring and care, especially Least Tern on beaches such as Morse/Sandy Points in West Haven, Long Beach or Pleasure Beach in Stratford or Bridgeport, and so forth. Please provide us with all of the data you can including precise numbers of birds seen, breeding status, location, nests or eggs, age, behavior, threats, bands, etc. Thank you as always!

Survey and monitoring updates:

Piping Plover

Volunteer and staff surveys:

5 adults at Griswold Point on 4/29

1 adult at Fort Trumbull Beach on 4/30

1 at Silver Sands State Park on 4/30

1 pair, 3 adults, 4 nests at Long Beach on 5/1

5 adults at Sandy/Morse Points on 5/2

1 adult at Silver Sands State Park on 5/2

3 pairs, 1 adult, 2 nests at Sandy/Morse Points on 5/2

3 pairs, 1 adult, 3 nests at Sandy/Morse Points on 5/2

5 pairs, 4 nests at Milford Point on 5/3

1 adult (male) at Silver Sands State Park on 5/3

4 adults on 4 nests at Milford Point on 5/3

4 adults, 1 nest at Sandy/Morse Points on 5/4

2 adults on 2 nests at Harkness Memorial State Park on 5/4

1 adult at Stratford Point on 5/4

6 pairs, 5 nests at Long Beach on 5/4

4 pairs, 4 nests at Sandy/Morse Points on 5/4

2 pair, 5 adults, 3 nests at Long Beach on 5/5

1 adult on Pleasure Beach on 5/5

3 pairs, 3 adult, 2 nests at Long Beach on 5/5

6 pairs, 1 adult, 5 nests at Sandy/Morse Points on 5/5

1 pair, 1 nest at East Broadway Milford on 5/6

3 pairs, 1 adult, 4 nests at Milford Point on 5/6

4 pairs, 2 adults, 5 nests at Bluff Point on 5/6

4 pairs, 4 nests at Sandy/Morse Points on 5/6

1 adult at Silver Sands State Park on 5/6

American Oystercatcher

Volunteer and staff surveys:

2 pairs, one 3-egg nest and one 4-egg nest at Sandy/Morse Points on 4/30

3 pairs, 1 nest at Milford Point on 4/30

1 pair, 1 nest in Branford on 5/2

1 pair, 1 adult, 1 nest at Sandy/Morse Points on 5/2

1 pair, one 3-egg nest and one 4-egg nest at Sandy/Morse Points on 5/2

1 pair, 1 adult at Barn Island on 5/3

4 pairs, at least 2 nests at Menunketesuck Island on 5/3

2 pairs, 2 nests at Milford Point on 5/3

3 pairs, 2 nests at Sandy/Morse Points on 5/3

1 pair, 1 nest at Milford Point on 5/3

1 pair at Bluff Point on 5/3

1 adult at Tuxis Island on 5/4

3 pairs, 1 nest at Menunketesuck Island on 5/4

1 pair at Stratford Point on 5/4

4 pairs, one 3-egg nest and one 1-egg nest at Milford Point on 5/4

1 adult at Long Beach on 5/4

2 pairs, 2 nests at Sandy/Morse Points on 5/4

1 pair at Long Beach on 5/5

1 pair seen copulating at Long Beach on 5/5

1 pair, 1 adult, 2 nests at Milford Point on 5/6

1 pair at Bluff Point on 5/6

2 pairs, 2 nests at Sandy/Morse Points on 5/6

1 pair, one 1-egg nest at Griswold Point on 5/6

4 pairs, 1 adult, 2 nests at Sandy Point in Stonington 5/7

1 adult at Bluff Point on 5/7

Least Tern 

Volunteer and staff surveys:

1 adult at Long Beach on 5/1

1 adult at Stratford Point on 5/4

1 adult at Long Beach on 5/5

4 adults at Sandy/Morse Points on 5/6

8 adults at Long Beach on 5/7

Common Tern

Volunteer and staff surveys:

2 adults at Russian Beach Stratford on 5/2

16 adults at Stratford Point on 5/4

2 adults at Milford Point on 5/4

10 adults at Stratford Point on 5/5

8 adults at Long Beach on 5/5

3 adults at Pleasure Beach on 5/5

5 adults at Sandy/Morse Points on 5/6

4 adults at Bluff Point on 5/6

70+ adults at Stratford Point on 5/7

There have been no reports of Black Skimmer in 2012, but they should be spotted soon. All long-legged waders are in expected breeding areas at this point and frequently encountered foraging at many of our monitoring locations as well. Semipalmated Sandpiper are slowly growing in number, but Least Sandpiper, and Semipalmated Plover are now regular sightings with numbers into the dozens at times. A high number of 51 Semipalmated Plover were seen at Stratford Point on 5/4, with many other spots recording groups and singles of these birds. We make a special note of this because observers should be aware not to confuse these birds with Piping Plovers as both share some identification points.

This concludes update #8 through 5/7/12 as of 4:00 p.m.

Audubon Alliance for Coastal Waterbirds, Audubon Connecticut and the Connecticut Audubon Society partnering to improve conditions for coastal waterbirds in Connecticut.