AAfCW 2021 Field Update #11

Good afternoon! 

Volunteer monitoring officially ends today. It has been an extremely busy month to conclude our field season. Thankfully for Connecticut, Hurricane Henri came ashore in Rhode Island at a good tide with a patchy and weakened wind field, and its impacts were less severe than anticipated. Nevertheless, we hurriedly removed a great deal of fencing and signage wherever possible, and some beaches saw some higher waters.

As mentioned last week, we have started to note higher than average mortality for terns in Connecticut in the past month. CT DEEP Wildlife continues to collect numerous specimens for testing and necropsies to determine the cause of these losses. As previously mentioned, species listed on Connecticut’s Endangered Species Act - including our Least Tern, Common Tern, American Oystercatcher, and Piping Plover - can only be collected by authorized personnel. Please do not attempt to recover any bird, living or dead, on the beaches. Sick and deceased birds have been collected at an even higher rate by staff over the past week.

While monitoring is officially ending, your observations on your own time are always appreciated. CT DEEP Wildlife needs to be notified of dead or dying birds as soon as possible so they can collect them. Staff will assess where the bird was discovered, prepare it for transport or preservation, and continue to catalog all data and information. Once again, all of this needs to be done in person by CT DEEP and AAfCW staff. If you find a dead or dying bird, please notify CT DEEP (Laura.Saucier@ct.gov and rsuzf@hotmail.com) and us at AAfCW (ctwaterbirds@gmail.com). Do not take any physical action on your own. Photos - safely, and staying outside of any remaining fenced areas - data, information, and notifications are all superb.

The following data is through August 31. Thank you! Be well and stay safe.

Piping Plover:

3 fledglings at Sandy/Morse Points on 8/7

1 fledgling, 10 juveniles at Sandy/Morse Points on 8/7

1 fledgling at Milford Point on 8/9

10 juveniles at Sandy/Morse Points on 8/10

1 adult at Sandy/Morse Points on 8/10

2 pairs at Griswold Point on 8/11

3 juveniles at Bluff Point on 8/13

2 fledglings, 2 juveniles at Sandy/Morse Points on 8/13

1 juvenile at Sandy/Morse Points on 8/14

1 adult, 2 fledglings, 14 juveniles at Milford Point on 8/15

4 juveniles at Sandy/Morse Points on 8/15

1 juvenile at Sandy/Morse Points on 8/16

1 pair, 3 adults, 15 hatchlings, 7 fledglings at Milford Point on 8/16

8 juveniles at Milford Point on 8/17

7 adults at Sandy/Morse Points on 8/17

1 juvenile at Sandy/Morse Points on 8/18

2 adults, 3 fledglings at Milford Point on 8/20

2 fledglings, 6 juveniles at Sandy/Morse Points on 8/20

3 juveniles at Bluff Point on 8/20

6 juveniles at Sandy/Morse Points on 8/21

2 adults at Sandy/Morse Points on 8/24

3 adults at Bluff Point on 8/25

7 adults at Bluff Point on 8/25

2 fledglings, 2 juveniles at Sandy/Morse Points on 8/26

5 juveniles at Milford Point on 8/29

American Oystercatcher:
1 pair at Sandy/Morse Points on 8/7

1 pair at Sandy/Morse Points on 8/10

1 pair at Bluff Point on 8/13

2 pairs at Sandy/Morse Points on 8/14

2 pairs, 1 fledgling at Milford Point on 8/15

5 adults at Milford Point on 8/20

1 pair at Bluff Point on 8/20

1 pair at Sandy/Morse Points on 8/24

2 adults at Bluff Point on 8/25

1 adult, 2 juveniles at Bluff Point on 8/27

1 adult at Sandy/Morse Points on 8/28

20 adults at Milford Point on 8/29

34 birds at Milford Point on 8/29

Least Tern:

100 adults, 5 hatchlings, 4 fledglings, 1 juvenile at Sandy/Morse Points on 8/7

50 adults, 2 hatchlings, 15 juveniles, 5 nests at Sandy/Morse Points on 8/7

100 adults, 12 juveniles at Sandy/Morse Points on 8/10

12 adults, 8 juveniles at Sandy/Morse Points on 8/10

132 adults, 2 hatchlings, 1 fledgling, 12 juveniles at Sandy/Morse Points on 8/13

2 pairs, 60 adults, 2 hatchlings, 1 fledgling, 7 juveniles at Sandy/Morse Points on 8/14

10 adults, 1 hatchling, 1 fledgling, 2 juveniles at Milford Point on 8/15

6 adults at Sandy/Morse Points on 8/16

3 adults at Milford Point on 8/17

3 adults, 2 fledglings at Sandy/Morse Points on 8/17

2 adults at Sandy/Morse Points on 8/18

4 adults at Milford Point on 8/20

14 adults, 7 juveniles at Sandy/Morse Points on 8/20

2 adults, 3 juveniles at Sandy/Morse Points on 8/21

1 pair, 186 adults, 2 juveniles at Sandy/Morse Points on 8/26

3 adults, 6 juveniles at Milford Point on 8/29

Common Tern:

40 adults at Sandy/Morse Points on 8/10

1 pair, 4 adults, 4 fledglings at Sandy/Morse Points on 8/15

1 adult at Sandy/Morse Points on 8/17

12 adults at Sandy/Morse Points on 8/24

500 birds at Sandy/Morse Points on 8/28

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Audubon Alliance for Coastal Waterbirds

http://ctwaterbirds.blogspot.com