Monday, July 16, 2012

Audubon Alliance for Coastal Waterbirds update #18

This is the eighteenth 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 July 9 through 12:00 p.m. on July 16 with sightings of birds spanning July 9 through July 15 by our staff and volunteers.

Informational updates:

The fall season of International Shorebird Surveys (ISS) started yesterday, July 15. We still have plenty of great sites across the state for those who are interested in helping out with these quick and easy yet very valuable surveys. All of the information on ISS is here in our blog in the right-hand column under the Important Documents heading.

As you can see below, we finally have a few more American Oystercatcher hatchlings and fledglings. These and more Least Tern young still need our constant care, not to mention a few families of Piping Plover that have just hatched or are about to. It is getting later in the season and many birds have fledged, but we still have plenty of work remaining! Please continue to be careful of the very hot weather for your own safety as well as that of the birds.

Survey and monitoring updates:

Piping Plover
Volunteer and staff surveys:
2 adults, 1 chick, 1 nest at Harkness Memorial State Park on 7/9
1 pair, 4 adults, 3 chicks, 4 juveniles at Sandy/Morse Points on 7/9
2 pairs, 4 adults, 1 chick at Griswold Point on 7/9
6 adults at Long Beach on 7/10
1 pair, 9 adults, 3 chicks, 8 juveniles at Milford Point on 7/10
1 pair, 2 adults at Long Beach on 7/10
2 pairs, 1 adult, 3 chicks, 4 juveniles at Sandy/Morse Point on 7/10
2 pairs, 6 adults, 3 chicks, 8 juveniles, 1 nest at Milford Point on 7/10
2 pairs, 1 adult, 3 juveniles at Sandy/Morse Points on 7/10
2 pairs, 4 adults, 3 chicks at Bluff Point on 7/10
1 pair, 6 adults, 3 chicks, 5 juveniles at Milford Point on 7/11
2 pairs, 2 adults, 3 chicks, 2 juveniles at Sandy/Morse Points on 7/11
1 pair, 5 adults, 3 chicks, 2 juveniles at Sandy/Morse Points on 7/11
8 adults, 3 chicks, 4 juveniles at Sandy/Morse Points on 7/11
3 adults, 2 juveniles at Long Beach on 7/11
1 pair, 1 adult, 2 juveniles at Long Beach on 7/11
1 pair, 4 chicks at Milford Point on 7/12
2 adults, 3 chicks, 1 nest at Harkness Memorial State Park on 7/12
1 pair, 4 adults, 2 chicks, 1 juvenile at Bluff Point on 7/12
1 pair, 3 adults, 4 chicks, 2 juveniles at Milford Point on 7/13
2 pairs, 5 adults, 5 chicks, 2 juveniles at Sandy/Morse Points on 7/13
9 adults, 8 juveniles at Bluff Point on 7/13
1 pair, 3 chicks at Milford Point on 7/13
1 pair, 3 chicks at Milford Point on 7/13
1 pair, 4 adults, 5 juveniles at Long Beach on 7/14
21 adults/juveniles at Milford Point on 7/14
5 adults, 9 juveniles at Long Beach on 7/14
2 pairs, 1 adult, 8 juveniles at Long Beach on 7/15

American Oystercatcher
Volunteer and staff surveys:
3 pairs, 1 nest at Sandy/Morse Points on 7/9
1 pair at Whale Rock (Mystic) on 7/9
1 adult at Ram Island on 7/9
1 pair, 1 adult at Salt Island on 7/9
1 pair at Bruce and Johnson Marina (Branford) on 7/10
1 pair, 1 adult at Kelsey Island on 7/10
1 adult, 1 nest at Milford Point on 7/10
3 adults at Thimble Islands on 7/10
2 pairs, 1 nest at Sandy/Morse Points on 7/10
3 adults at Sandy/Morse Points on 7/10
1 adult, 1 chick at Bluff Point on 7/10
1 adult, 1 nest at Milford Point on 7/11
2 pairs, 1 adult, 2 nests at Sandy/Morse Points on 7/11
2 pairs, 2 nests at Sandy/Morse Points on 7/11
2 adults at Sandy/Morse Points on 7/11
1 pair, 1 adult, 1 chick at Bluff Point on 7/11
1 pair, 2 chicks at Old Greenwich on 7/11
1 pair, 1 chick at Cos Cob Harbor on 7/11
2 pairs, 2 chicks, 1 nest at Milford Point on 7/12
1 pair at Bluff Point on 7/12
1 pair, 1 nest at Milford Point on 7/13
2 pairs, 1 chick, 2 nests at Sandy/Morse Points on 7/13
1 pair at Stratford Point on 7/13
1 pair, 1 adult at Milford Point on 7/13
4 adults at Milford Point on 7/14
1 adult at Long Beach on 7/14
1 pair at Stratford Point on 7/15

Least Tern 
Volunteer and staff surveys:
19 adults at Harkness Memorial State Park on 7/9
100+ adults, 31 chicks, 30+ nests at Sandy/Morse Points on 7/9
77-100 adults, 11 chicks, 25+ nests at Griswold Point on 7/9
13 adults at Long Beach on 7/10
5 adults at Milford Point on 7/10
4 pairs, 16 adults, 4 nests at Long Beach on 7/10
1 adult at Pleasure Beach on 7/10
67 pairs, 2 chicks, 67 nests at Sandy/Morse Points on 7/10
20-25 adults, 11 chicks at Bluff Point on 7/10
3 adults at Milford Point on 7/11
1 adult at Silver Sands State Park on 7/11
154-204 adults, 27 chicks, 53+ nests at Sandy/Morse Points on 7/11
200 adults, 7 chicks at Sandy/Morse Points on 7/11
40 adults, 3 chicks at Sandy/Morse Points on 7/11
1 adult at Silver Sands State Park on 7/11
5 adults, 1 nest at Long Beach on 7/11
1 pair, 12 adults, 1 likely nest at Milford Point on 7/12
2 adults at Silver Sands State Park on 7/12
1 pair, 1 adult at Harkness Memorial State Park on 7/12
33+ adults, 6 chicks, 2 nests at Bluff Point on 7/12
3 adults at Milford Point on 7/13
5 pairs, 150+ adults, 37 chicks, 51+ nests at Sandy/Morse Points on 7/13
24 adults, 7 juveniles at Bluff Point on 7/13
2 adults at Stratford Point on 7/13
1 adult at Milford Point on 7/13
24 adults at Long Beach on 7/14
3 adults at Milford Point on 7/14
18 adults at Long Beach on 7/14

Common Tern
Volunteer and staff surveys:
3 adults at Harkness Memorial State Park on 7/9
49 adults, 4 nests at Sandy/Morse Points on 7/9
52 adults, 1 nest at Griswold Point on 7/9
5 adults at Long Beach on 7/10
13 adults at Sandy/Morse Points on 7/10
1 pair at Silver Sands State Park on 7/11
1 adult at East Broadway on 7/11
50-60 adults, 7 nests at Sandy/Morse Points on 7/11
5 adults at Sandy/Morse Points on 7/11
3 adults at Silver Sands State Park on 7/11
200+ adults at Milford Point on 7/12
5 adults at Harkness Memorial State Park on 7/12
15 adults at Milford Point on 7/13
54-70 adults, 1 pair, 1 juvenile at Sandy/Morse Points on 7/13
187 adults at Stratford Point on 7/13
15 adults at Milford Point on 7/13
5 adults at Long Beach on 7/14
3 adults at Milford Point on 7/14
1 adult at Long Beach on 7/14
78 adults at Stratford Point on 7/15

Shorebirds are present across Connecticut in some already solid numbers. On July 15, dozens of Least Sandpiper as well as hundreds of Semipalmated Sandpiper plus Short-billed Dowitcher, Lesser Yellowlegs, Semipalmated Plover, Killdeer, Spotted Sandpiper, and more were recorded during some of our initial International Shorebird Surveys. Please sign up to conduct some of these surveys on your own as soon as possible if you want a terrific excuse to get out and see these species while aiding their conservation efforts.

This concludes update #18 through 7/16/12 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.

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