AAfCW 2021 Field Update #5

Good morning!

It has been a tough few days. Cold, windy, and rainy beaches have been largely devoid of beachgoers this holiday weekend, but the birds that make their homes on the shore have had a difficult time due to significant coastal flooding. Numerous nests have been lost to the Long Island Sound. String fencing and exclosures have been damaged or destroyed in some locations. Staff is working to take care of these situations when it is safe. 

In some areas, agitated pairs of birds were still guarding territory or destroyed nests. We did not want to add to their stress to try to fix something that would only be damaged again as tidal flooding occurred repeatedly on May 29 and 30. Repair work and more monitoring will be completed as the weather clears today and throughout the week. Please let us and CT DEEP know directly if you see damage, have nest losses, or new nests found - especially outside of fencing.

If you do not see any of our target species (Piping Plover, American Oystercatcher, and starting in May, Least Tern and Common Tern) please submit data regardless. Your trip information, hours, lack of birds, disturbances, observations of weather or people - all of that is vital to know. This is especially true as staff starts the annual June Piping Plover census across every potential beach habitat in the state of Connecticut. Please do report all four species, not only Piping Plovers, whenever you see them - just as you would plovers.

All birds hatched so far this year are still hatchlings. None have fledged and none are juveniles. Below are observations on our beaches as submitted from noon on May 20 through 12:00am today, Monday, May 31. Reports of data and information prior to May 20 were received but are excluded from listing below. Please try to submit data and information on the same day as your monitoring, or at most a day or two later. Information received weeks after a monitoring session is far less valuable to us in our 24/7 efforts. Thank you!

Piping Plover:

4 pairs, 2 nests at Bluff Point on 5/21

1 pair, 7 adults, 2 nests at Bluff Point on 5/21

1 adult at Long Beach on 5/21

1 adult at Griswold Point on 5/22

3 pairs at Long Beach on 5/23

8 pairs, 5 adults, 8 nests at Sandy/Morse Points on 5/23

1 pair, 1 hatchling, 1 nest at Mile Creek on 5/23

6 adults, 5 hatchlings at Milford Point on 5/24

2 adults, 2 nests at Bluff Point on 5/24

2 pairs, 2 adults at Griswold Point on 5/24

7 adults, 7 hatchlings, 5 nests at Milford Point on 5/24

4 pairs, 2 nests at Bluff Point on 5/25

16 adults, 6 hatchlings, 6 nests at Milford Point on 5/25

5 pairs, 2 adults, 3 nests at Long Beach on 5/25

4 pairs, 13 adults, 4 hatchlings at Sandy/Morse Points on 5/25

5 pairs, 4 adults, 7 hatchlings, 8 nests at Milford Point on 5/25

1 pair, 2 adults, 3 hatchlings, 1 nest at Milford Point on 5/27

2 pairs, 12 adults, 3 hatchlings, 3 nests at Sandy/Morse Points on 5/27

4 adults, 2 nests at Bluff Point on 5/28

American Oystercatcher:

2 pairs, 1 adult at Bluff Point on 5/21

1 pair, 1 nest at Griswold Point on 5/21

2 pairs, 6 adults, 2 nests at Bluff Point on 5/21

1 pair, 2 adults at Griswold Point on 5/22

1 adult, 1 nest at Long Beach on 5/23

2 adults at Silver Sands State Park on 5/23

1 pair at Fort Trumbull on 5/23

7 adults, 1 nest at Sandy/Morse Points on 5/24

1 adult at Milford Point on 5/24

1 pair, 2 hatchlings, 1 nest at Bluff Point on 5/24

1 pair at Griswold Point on 5/24

1 pair, 1 adult at Milford Point on 5/24

2 pairs, 3 hatchlings at Bluff Point on 5/25

5 adults, 1 nest at Milford Point on 5/25

1 pair at Long Beach on 5/25

5 pairs, 4 adults, 2 nests at Milford Point on 5/25

3 pairs, 1 adult at Sandy/Morse Points on 5/25

5 adults, 1 nest at Sandy/Morse Points on 5/27

1 adult at Bluff Point on 5/28

Least Tern:

2 adults at Bluff Point on 5/21

5 pairs, 2 adults at Griswold Point on 5/21

1 pair, 25 adults at Long Beach on 5/21

26 adults at Griswold Point on 5/22

6 adults at Long Beach on 5/23

17 pairs, 14 adults, 17 nests at Sandy/Morse Points on 5/23

24 adults, 1 nest at Sandy/Morse Points on 5/24

5 adults at Milford Point on 5/24

1 pair, 2 adults at Milford Point on 5/24

19 adults at Milford Point on 5/25

2 pairs, 17 adults at Long Beach on 5/25

18 pairs, 40 adults at Sandy/Morse Points on 5/25

50 adults at Sandy/Morse Points on 5/27

2 pairs, 8 adults at Bluff Point on 5/28

Common Tern:

1 pair, 2 adults at Bluff Point on 5/21

2 pairs, 2 adults at Milford Point on 5/24

2 adults at Milford Point on 5/25

2 pairs at Milford Point on 5/25

8 pairs, 30 adults at Sandy/Morse Points on 5/25

1 adult at Sandy/Morse Points on 5/27

1 adult, 1 nest at Milford Point on 5/28

Thanks again!