Watch the weather

It sure feels like winter again today! This is one of those days we would rather not have anyone surveying for our birds. While we want our staff and monitors on the beaches across Connecticut as much as possible, there are a few times when we would rather have no one there at all. This is when the weather conditions are potentially hazardous to the birds we are working to protect, survey, and educate the public on. As you can imagine the threat increases at times when the birds are incubating eggs or tending to young. This goes for Piping Plover, American Oystercatcher, Least Tern, Common Tern, and all of the species we are monitoring this season.

We request that everyone please keep the conditions in mind and only survey when the temperature is not overly hot or cold, there is no rain, and the wind is not strong. If gusts are strong enough that you notice them pushing you around, especially on a cool or cloudy day, it may be better to stay home. When the temperature is below 50 at any time, or perhaps even 60 when the birds are on eggs, or over 90, you may want to exercise caution and skip a monitoring session. Lastly, when there is rain falling it is also best not to go on to the beach. When it is very foggy it can also be somewhat difficult to watch for birds as well.

The key is that we do not want incubating adults coming off eggs for too long of a time so that they are exposed to extreme conditions. Even before nests are established this week's cold and windy days mean that providing the birds extra space or more time alone to feed and stay warm is the prudent course of action. For your own safety please watch out for any forecast for thunderstorms so that you are not on the beach at such a time as we enter the severe season.

Thank you all for your constant efforts and for being mindful about when to hit the beaches this spring and summer.