2020 Breeding Conditions and Negative Data

Good afternoon, all!

We wanted to remind you of a few things as we enter mid-July. First and foremost, please keep your safety in mind at all times. This includes staying home in very hot and/or humid conditions with the temperature or heat index in the 90s. Also stay home if you feel it is going to be inclement weather at any time during your monitoring - thunderstorms, rain or strong wind. This helps protect our birds, too.

Secondly, we have a very large mix of breeding conditions across Connecticut. It includes nests being created right now and other young who have fledged with adults heading south for "fall" migration. Remember that fencing is always removed as soon as possible once nests have hatched and it is likely there will be no additional nesting attempts made by our birds. The birds do not "use nests" like songbirds in our yards do for their young. 

As you can imagine, towns and private landowners, parks and etc. want as much of the beach open as possible. That does not change anything when it comes to our monitoring, though, as we will still be visiting these areas with or without fencing. It's very important to collect negative data and know that birds are not present and not nesting in some cases. We always want to keep an eye on any birds there that have nested or attempted to.

As mentioned, we are at the time of year where some young are dispersing, and other adults are already heading south (despite the fact other re-nesting birds have nests with eggs now). We want to make sure we see these birds at all locations if they show up. Quieter beaches can be a spot where they pass through in migration from Connecticut and even other states. Some may be flagged or banded, too, an always exciting sight.

That goes for Piping Plover, Least Tern, American Oystercatcher, and Common Tern. Even beyond that, we want to be watching for our other shorebirds and terns as much as possible, and generally knowing all that happens at the beach with people. In short, all of your observations are vital, and please keep submitting them through the end of August at your beaches. Even if you have no sightings - negative data - it is important to know and record this.

Thanks again for all your hard work!