AAfCW 2017 Volunteer Update #2

This is the second weekly update by the Audubon Alliance for Coastal Waterbirds (AAfCW) for the 2017 season. Today's update includes reports of Piping Plover and American Oystercatcher through 1:00 p.m. on April 17 with sightings of birds by volunteers and staff since the previous update on April 10.

Informational updates:

Thank you all very much for your help with spring fencing dates. CT DEEP and AAfCW staff will continue to finish up fencing and signing a few more beaches, and all will be set for the soon to be nesting birds. If your beach does not have any Piping Plovers or American Oystercatchers yet then you can keep monitoring for now to see if any do show up. If in the next few weeks we still not do have any then switching to a busier beach would be best. However, please do submit "negative" data from any monitoring you conduct where you find none of our focal birds. The importance of this is outlined in detail here in our blog: http://ctwaterbirds.blogspot.com/2017/04/submit-negative-data.html

Identification badges are currently being distributed by CT DEEP and are going out to be mailed tomorrow. Paperwork for those who did not get a chance to sign up at training in March will be ready later this week and sent via email as well as posted publicly in our blog. When you submit this information DEEP will mail you a badge.

Once again please remember to provide your license plate and mailing address by email to ctwaterbirds@gmail.com if you are going to monitor at Sandy/Morse Points in West Haven and do not have a resident sticker. We will be submitting the list to the City soon! If you do not submit your information you will have to acquire and pay for a sticker directly from West Haven.

There are a few banded and flagged Piping Plovers at our beaches, and more could still be found. Whether it is a marked bird, a disturbance of note that however does not reach "take" status, a new nest, and other significant information, please email CT DEEP (Laura.Saucier@ct.gov and Rebecca.Foster@ct.gov) and AAfCW directly about it with all the information you can as soon as possible.

Both Least and Common Terns begin returning to Connecticut usually right around May 1, so do not expect to see any for a couple of weeks. Please keep monitoring as usual during conducive weather, and we should have mostly great days to be at the beach this week.

Survey and monitoring updates:

Piping Plover
3 pairs, 3 adults at Bluff Point on 4/10
1 pair at Sandy/Morse Points on 4/10
2 pairs, 1 adult at Sandy/Morse Points on 4/10
1 pair at Sandy/Morse Points on 4/11
4 pairs at Milford Point on 4/11
5 pairs, 3 adults at Long Beach on 4/11
3 pairs, 2 adults at Long Beach on 4/12
4 pairs, 5 adults at Long Beach on 4/12
3 pairs, 1 adult at Sandy/Morse Points on 4/12
3 pairs, 1 adult at Sandy/Morse Points on 4/12
5 pairs at Sandy/Morse Points on 4/12
2 pairs, 1 adult at Sandy/Morse Points on 4/13
3 pairs at Milford Point on 4/13
5 pairs at Bluff Point on 4/14
2 pairs, 2 adults at Long Beach on 4/14
1 pair, 7 adults at Sandy/Morse Points on 4/14
7 pairs, 4 adults at Milford Point on 4/14
1 adult at Long Beach on 4/14
1 pair at East Broadway, Milford on 4/14
2 pairs, 1 adult at Sandy/Morse Points on 4/15
3 pairs, 6 adults at Sandy/Morse Points on 4/15

American Oystercatcher
1 pair at Bluff Point on 4/10
1 pair at Sandy/Morse Points on 4/10
4 pairs at Sandy/Morse Points on 4/10
1 pair at Hammonasset on 4/10
3 pairs at Milford Point on 4/11
1 pair, 1 adult at Long Beach on 4/11
1 pair at Sandy/Morse Points on 4/11
3 pairs, 1 adult at Milford Point on 4/11
2 pairs at Sandy/Morse Points on 4/12
1 adult at Silver Sands State Park on 4/12
4 pairs at Milford Point on 4/12
1 pair at Sandy/Morse Points on 4/12
3 pairs at Sandy/Morse Points on 4/12
2 pairs at Sandy/Morse Points on 4/13
3 pairs at Milford Point on 4/13
3 pairs at Milford Point on 4/14
1 adult at Bluff Point on 4/14
2 pairs, 2 adults at Sandy/Morse Points on 4/14
2 pairs at Milford Point on 4/14
1 pair at Sandy/Morse Points on 4/15
2 pairs at Sandy/Morse Points on 4/15
3 pairs at Milford Point on 4/15

This concludes update #2 through 4/17/17 as of 5:00 p.m.