Audubon Alliance for Coastal Waterbirds update #13

This is the thirteenth 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 2:00 p.m. on June 4 through 12:00 p.m. on June 11 with sightings of birds spanning June 4 through June 10 by our staff and volunteers.

Informational updates:

We created some simple identification badges for Audubon Alliance for Coastal Waterbirds staff and volunteers. If anyone would like to have one they can be picked up from the Coastal Center at Milford Point, or we can make more specific arrangements to allow you to pick them up from somewhere closer to where you live. We may even be able to pass them on to you in the field. They are not necessary but we thought it could be helpful to have yet another way to identify yourselves to people on the beach. If any volunteers run into problems accessing their beach (without a car sticker for the town they are monitoring, being asked to pay a fee to enter the beach, etc.) please let us know and we will help you out as soon as possible.

Survey and monitoring updates:

Piping Plover
Volunteer and staff surveys:
1 pair, 3 chicks at East Broadway Milford on 6/4
4 pairs, 4 adults, 13 chicks, 1 nest at Milford Point on 6/4
6 pairs, 10 chicks, 1 nest at Milford Point on 6/5
2 pairs, 1 adult, 2 chicks, 1 nest at Harkness Memorial State Park on 6/5
2 pairs, 5 adults, 7 chicks, 1 nest at Griswold Point on 6/5
8 adults, 3 chicks at Sandy/Morse Points on 6/5
2 pairs, 1 adult, 5 chicks, 3 nests at Long Beach on 6/5
1 pair, 4 adults, 2 chicks, 3 nests at Long Beach on 6/5
3 pairs, 6 adults, 3 chicks, 3 nests at Sandy/Morse Points on 6/5
2 pairs, 7 adults, 9 chicks, 1 nest at Griswold Point on 6/5
1 pair, 3 chicks at East Broadway Milford on 6/6
2 pairs, 1 adult, 6 chicks, 3 nests at Long/Pleasure Beach on 6/6
6 pairs, 10 chicks, 1 nest at Milford Point on 6/6
4 pairs, 2 adults, 7 chicks, 1 nest at Bluff Point on 6/6
1 pair, 1 adult at Waterford Beach on 6/6
1 pair, 1 adult, 2 chicks, 1 nest at Harkness Memorial State Park on 6/6
4 pairs, 13 chicks, 1 nest at Bluff Point on 6/7
3 pairs, 2 chicks, 1 nest at Harkness Memorial State Park on 6/7
1 pair, 3 chicks at East Broadway Milford on 6/7
1 pair, 3 chicks at East Broadway Milford on 6/7
2 pairs, 4 adults, 8 chicks at Sandy/Morse Points on 6/7
6 pairs, 10 chicks, 1 nest at Milford Point on 6/7
2 pairs, 3 adults, 6 chicks, 1 nest at Long Beach on 6/8
6 pairs, 10 chicks, 1 nest at Milford Point on 6/8
4 pairs, 1 adult, 5 chicks at Long Beach on 6/9
3 pairs, 4 adults, 7 chicks at Milford Point on 6/9
1 pair, 2 adults, 3 nests at Long Beach on 6/10

American Oystercatcher
Volunteer and staff surveys:
1 adult at Barn Island on 6/4
1 pair, 2 chicks at Bluff Point on 6/4
4 pairs, 1 nest at Sandy/Morse Points on 6/4
3 pairs, 2 nest at Milford Point on 6/4
1 pair at New Haven Harbor on 6/4
3 pairs at Sandy/Morse Points on 6/4
2 pairs at Sandy/Morse Points on 6/5
2 pairs at Milford Point on 6/5
9 pairs, 5 chicks at Cockenoe Island on 6/5
1 pair, 1 adult at Sandy/Morse Points on 6/5
1 adult at Long Beach on 6/5
1 pair at Pleasure Beach on 6/5
1 adult at Long Beach on 6/5
2 pairs, 2 adults, 2 nests at Sandy/Morse Points on 6/5
1 adult at Fayerweather Island on 6/5
3 pairs, 1 adult at Chimon Island on 6/6
1 pair at Long Beach Sandspit Norwalk on 6/6
2 pairs at Betts Island on 6/6
2 pairs at Cockenoe Island on 6/6
1 pair at Long Beach on 6/6
2 pairs at Milford Point on 6/6
1 pair, 3 adults at Bluff Point on 6/6
1 pair at Calf Islands on 6/7
1 adult at Great Captain's Island on 6/7
1 pair at Sandy/Morse Points on 6/7
2 pairs at Bluff Point on 6/7
2 pairs, 4 adults at Milford Point on 6/7
2 pairs at Milford Point on 6/8
2 pairs at Menunketesuck Island on 6/8
1 pair at Stratford Point on 6/9
1 adult at Long Beach on 6/9
2 pairs at Milford Point on 6/9

Least Tern 
Volunteer and staff surveys:
34 pairs, 32+ nests at Sandy/Morse Points on 6/4
139 adults at Sandy/Morse Points on 6/4
2 pairs at Harkness Memorial State Park on 6/5
30 adults, 13 nests at Sandy/Morse Points on 6/5
104 adults at Long Beach on 6/5
76 adults at Long Beach on 6/5
70 adults, 7 nests at Sandy/Morse Points on 6/5
40-60 adults at Griswold Point on 6/5
20-30 adults at Bluff Point on 6/6
20 adults, 15 nests at Sandy/Morse Points on 6/7
34-44 adults, 17-22 nests at Bluff Point on 6/7
2 pairs at Harkness Memorial State Park on 6/7
2 pairs, 51 adults at Long Beach on 6/8
44 adults at Long Beach on 6/8
74 adults at Long Beach on 6/8

Common Tern
Volunteer and staff surveys:
5 adults at Sandy/Morse Points on 6/4
1 adult, 1 nest submerged by tide at Sandy/Morse Points on 6/4
5 adults at Harkness Memorial State Park on 6/5
1 adult at Harkness Memorial State Park on 6/6
3 adults at Harkness Memorial State Park on 6/7
1 adult at Stratford Point on 6/7
55 adults at Stratford Point on 6/9
2 adults at Long Beach on 6/10


This concludes update #13 through 6/11/12 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.