AAfCW 2015 Volunteer Update #9

This is the ninth 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 26 through 4:00 p.m. on June 1 with sightings of birds by volunteers and staff spanning that period.

Informational updates:

After some inclement weather to start the week conditions should clear up for monitoring midweek. As many of you have already done please email rsuzf@hotmail.com and Laura.Saucier@ct.gov along with us at ctwaterbirds@gmail.com to immediately alert us to any nests you find of Piping Plovers and American Oystercatchers as well as Least Terns and Common Terns. There will be more terns nesting soon and we hope to help them as quickly as possible.

As we move through the end of the spring and enter the summer we will be continually seeing more bird and human activity on our beaches with more nests and young to come. The identification of the age of these young can be difficult as they grow, but for now all of the young are hatchlings. Please remember to visit our blog for dozens of documents in the right-hand column including outreach materials, species fact sheets and more.

This PDF file from CT DEEP is one of the most important containing contact information, instructions on what to do in difficult situations and with disturbances plus dog laws on beaches: http://rtpi.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/WHO-TO-CONTACT-IN-AN-EMERGENCY_CT-Dog-Laws.pdf

Thank you as always!

Survey and monitoring updates:

Piping Plover
7 pairs, 4 hatchlings, 6 nests at Sandy/Morse Points on 5/26
14 adults, 4 hatchlings at Sandy/Morse Points on 5/26
1 pair, 3 hatchlings, 1 nest at East Broadway Milford on 5/27
6 adults, 2 hatchlings, 3 nests at Sandy/Morse Points on 5/27
3 pairs, 6 adults, 1 hatchling, 2 nests at Griswold Point on 5/27
18 adults, 4 hatchlings, 6 nests at Milford Point on 5/28
1 pair, 3 hatchlings at East Broadway Milford on 5/29
3 pairs, 4 adults, 11 hatchling at Bluff Point on 5/29
6 pair, 3 adults, 14 hatchlings at Sandy/Morse Points on 5/29
2 pairs, 3 hatchlings, 1 nest at Long Beach on 5/30
1 pair, 2 adults, 4 hatchlings at Bluff Point on 5/30
5 pairs, 1 adult, 6 hatchlings at Sandy/Morse Points on 5/30
1 adult at Short Beach on 5/30
1 pair, 3 hatchling at East Broadway Milford on 5/31
2 pairs, 14 adults, 6 hatchlings, 1 nest at Griswold Point on 5/31
3 pairs, 1 adult, 3 hatchlings at Long Beach on 5/31
1 pair, 5 adults, 4 hatchlings at Sandy/Morse Points on 5/31

American Oystercatcher
3 pairs, 2 nests at Sandy/Morse Points on 5/26
3 adults at Sandy/Morse Points on 5/26
2 pairs, 2 hatchlings, 1 nest at Milford Point on 5/27
2 adults at Peck Ave, West Haven on 5/27
3 pairs, 2 nests at Sandy/Morse Points on 5/27
2 adults at Stratford Point on 5/27
3 adults at Sandy/Morse Points on 5/28
4 pairs at Milford Point on 5/28
1 adult at Stratford Point on 5/28
3 adults at Long Beach on 5/29
1 pair at Short Beach on 5/29
1 pair, 1 adult at Bluff Point on 5/29
1 pair, 1 hatchling at Quinnipeag Rock on 5/29
1 pair, 3 hatchlings at Shore Rock on 5/29
2 pairs, 1 adult at Sandy/Morse Points on 5/29
2 pairs at Sandy/Morse Points on 5/30
1 pair, 1 adult at Long Beach on 5/31
4 adults at Sandy/Morse Points on 5/31

Least Tern
6 adults at Sandy/Morse Points on 5/26
3 pairs, 2 adults at East Broadway Milford on 5/27
4 adults at Stratford Point on 5/27
5 adults at Sandy/Morse Points on 5/27
10 pairs, 20 adults at Griswold Point on 5/27
30 adults at Milford Point on 5/28
3 adults at Stratford Point on 5/28
4 adults at East Broadway Milford on 5/29
1 pair, 1 adult at Bluff Point on 5/29
1 pair at Green Island on 5/29
2 adults at Stratford Point on 5/29
1 pair, 5 adults at Sasco Hill Beach on 5/30
2 pairs, 1 adult at Long Beach on 5/30
20 adults at Sandy/Morse Points on 5/30
4 adults at Long Beach on 5/30
1 pair, 6 adults at Short Beach on 5/30
4 adults at East Broadway Milford on 5/31
40 adults at Griswold Point on 5/31
1 pair, 4 adults at Long Beach on 5/31
12 adults at Sandy/Morse Points on 5/31

Common Tern
2 adults at East Broadway Milford on 5/27
11 adults at Stratford Point on 5/27
1 adult at Milford Point on 5/28
8 adults at Stratford Point on 5/27
5 adults at East Broadway Milford on 5/29
9 pairs at Shore Rock on 5/29
3 pairs at Green Island on 5/29
6 adults at Stratford Point on 5/29
4 adults at East Broadway Milford on 5/31

This concludes update #9 through 6/1/15 as of 5:00 p.m.