AAfCW 2015 Volunteer Update #8

This is the eighth weekly update by the Audubon Alliance for Coastal Waterbirds (AAfCW) for the 2015 season. Today's update includes reports of Piping Plover, American Oystercatcher, Least Tern and Common Tern from May 18 through 4:00 p.m. on May 26 with sightings of birds by volunteers and staff spanning that period.

Informational updates:

Thank you to all of the monitors who spent extra time out on the beach this holiday weekend! We educated and spoke to hundreds of beachgoers in the warm beach weather. We discovered the first Piping Plover hatchlings of 2015 at Milford Point and Sandy/Morse Points, as well as American Oystercatcher hatchlings at Milford Point. This will pick up very rapidly now with many young emerging in the next couple of weeks as our terns begin to nest as well. Please monitor as much as you can in this critical time! There is no more important point of the year as this is when the young birds are the most vulnerable.

For those of you who are wondering about access to beaches or parking, please use your monitor ID badges and explain that you are there to conduct volunteering monitoring to be granted free entry to any of our sites. If you ever encounter a problem with this please email us immediately and we will assist you and contact the municipality and/or park. Thank you again for all of your help.

Survey and monitoring updates:

Piping Plover
9 adults at Sandy/Morse Points on 5/18
10 adults, 4 nests at Sandy/Morse Points on 5/19
1 adult at Long Beach on 5/20
4 adults, 3 nests at Sandy/Morse Points on 5/22
6 pairs, 4 adults, 6 nests at Milford Point on 5/22
1 pair, 1 nest at East Broadway Milford on 5/22
6 pairs, 5 nests at Sandy/Morse Points on 5/22
6 pairs, 6 nests at Milford Point on 5/22
2 pairs, 1 nest at Short Beach on 5/22
3 pairs, 3 nests at Long Beach on 5/22
6 adults, 2 nests at Sandy/Morse Points on 5/22
2 pairs, 1 nest at Short Beach on 5/23
4 pairs, 1 adult, 3 nests at Long Beach on 5/23
6 pairs, 6 nests at Milford Point on 5/23
3 pairs, 4 adults, 1 hatchling, 4 nests at Sandy/Morse Points on 5/23
5 adults, 4 nests at Milford Point on 5/23
1 pair, 7 adults at Sandy/Morse Points on 5/23
1 adult at Silver Sands State Park on 5/23
1 adult, 1 nest at Long Beach on 5/23
1 pair, 9 adults, 2 nests, 2 hatchlings at Sandy/Morse Points on 5/25
2 adults at Long Beach on 5/25
1 pair at Short Beach on 5/25
5 adults, 1 nest at Sandy/Morse Points on 5/26
4 adults, 2 nests at Long Beach on 5/26

American Oystercatcher
4 adults at Fayerweather Island on 5/18
1 pair at Sandy/Morse Points on 5/18
2 adults at Stratford Point on 5/19
4 adults at Sandy/Morse Points on 5/19
3 pairs, 1 nest at Sandy/Morse Points on 5/20
3 adults at Long Beach on 5/20
1 pair, 3 hatchlings at Tuxis Island on 5/21
1 adult at Stratford Point on 5/21
2 pairs, 1 nest at Sandy/Morse Points on 5/22
3 pairs, 3 nests at Milford Point on 5/22
3 pairs, 2 nests at Sandy/Morse Points on 5/22
2 pairs at at Sandy/Morse Points on 5/22
2 pairs at Long Beach on 5/23
3 pairs at Milford Point on 5/23
2 pairs, 2 hatchlings at Milford Point on 5/23
3 pairs, 1 nest at Sandy/Morse Points on 5/23
2 pairs, 1 adult at Sandy/Morse Points on 5/23
2 pairs at Milford Point on 5/23
5 adults at Sandy/Morse Points on 5/25
1 pair at Stratford Point on 5/26
2 pairs, 2 nests at Sandy/Morse Points on 5/26
1 pair at Long Beach on 5/26

Least Tern
1 pair at Sandy/Morse Points on 5/18
9 adults at Stratford Point on 5/19
30 adults at Sandy/Morse Points on 5/19
6 adults at Stratford Point on 5/20
3 adults at Long Beach on 5/20
9 adults at Stratford Point on 5/21
13 adults at Griswold Point on 5/21
1 pair, 6 adults at Sandy/Morse Points on 5/22
8 adults at Stratford Point on 5/22
20 adults at Milford Point on 5/22
4 adults at East Broadway Milford on 5/22
8 adults at Sandy/Morse Points on 5/22
2 pairs, 4 adults at Silver Sands State Park on 5/22
2 pairs at Short Beach on 5/23
4 pairs, 17 adults at Milford Point on 5/23
1 pair, 30 adults, 6 nests at Milford Point on 5/23
3 adults at Stratford Point on 5/24
4 adults at Stratford Point on 5/25
2 adults at Sandy/Morse Points on 5/25
4 adults at Short Beach on 5/25
1 pair, 11 adults, 1 nest at Sandy/Morse Points on 5/26
2 pairs, 1 adult at Long Beach on 5/26
3 adults at Stratford Point on 5/26

Common Tern
1 adult at Sandy/Morse Points on 5/18
15 adults at Stratford Point on 5/19
3 adults at Sandy/Morse Points on 5/19
6 adults at Stratford Point on 5/20
26 adults at Stratford Point on 5/21
18 adults at Stratford Point on 5/22
1 pair, 2 adults at Silver Sands State Park on 5/22
5 adults at Stratford Point on 5/24
3 adults at Stratford Point on 5/25
1 pair at Long Beach on 5/26
5 adults at Stratford Point on 5/26

This concludes update #8 through 5/26/15 as of 5:00 p.m.