AAfCW 2022 Field Update #5

This is the fifth field update for the AAfCW in 2022 with data through May 30. Thank you all for your extra efforts this Memorial Day weekend. Our staff was busy from dawn to dusk across Connecticut every day conducting surveys, educating the public, and seeing more nests from all four of our focal species as some birds are re-nesting as well after losing them to tides, predators, or disturbances. Volunteers and staff continued to record newly hatched American Oystercatcher and Piping Plover chicks, with some likely lost to predators already.

These young birds will need space on the beach from us, too. Their parents can defend them, but they have to face threats from predators, pets, people, tides and bad weather, and more. Please remain below the high tide line, and also know that terns can nest very close to or even in the wrack line. Please let us and CT DEEP know as soon as possible if you see any nests outside of fenced areas. Keep in mind that only Piping Plover nests are exclosed, and this does not occur for every pair. These exclosures are meant to keep predators away from eggs, and not to keep the birds in. Adults and young do not use exclosures as protection, and they are only meant to protect eggs.

Please review aging young birds in this CT DEEP PDF brochure: http://www.scottkruitbosch.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/DEEP-PloverTern-Aging.pdf

Piping Plovers and American Oystercatcher young are precocial, meaning they can walk and feed themselves almost immediately. However, they are still in the care of their parents and are incapable of flight. It takes approximately four weeks for Piping Plovers to "fledge" and be able to fly and live independently. We have no fledglings yet in Connecticut for any of our species. We will likely need extra help with additional beach surveys soon, too - stay safe, and stay tuned!

Species	Date	Location	Pairs	Adults	Nests	Hatchlings
AMOY	May 21	Milford Point	1	1	1	0
AMOY	May 24	Bluff Point	1	2	1	0
AMOY	May 24	Milford Point	2	10	2	0
AMOY	May 24	Long Beach	1	0	1	0
AMOY	May 25	Compo Beach	1	2	1	2
AMOY	May 25	Milford Point	1	6	1	0
AMOY	May 25	Sandy/Morse Points	2	1	0	0
AMOY	May 25	Sandy/Morse Points	1	1	1	2
AMOY	May 25	Long Beach	1	0	1	0
AMOY	May 25	Milford Point	2	0	0	0
AMOY	May 25	Long Beach	1	0	0	2
AMOY	May 25	Long Beach	1	0	0	2
AMOY	May 25	Milford Point	1	5	3	0
AMOY	May 25	Sandy/Morse Points	0	6	0	0
AMOY	May 25	Sandy/Morse Points	1	2	0	0
AMOY	May 25	Milford Point	2	7	3	0
AMOY	May 26	Milford Point	3	4	3	0
AMOY	May 26	Sandy/Morse Points	0	4	0	0
AMOY	May 26	Bluff Point	1	3	0	0
AMOY	May 26	Compo Beach	0	1	1	0
AMOY	May 26	Sandy/Morse Points	0	5	0	0
AMOY	May 27	Bluff Point	1	0	0	0
AMOY	May 27	Compo Beach	1	2	1	2
AMOY	May 27	Sandy/Morse Points	0	2	1	0
AMOY	May 28	Milford Point	1	5	0	0
AMOY	May 28	Compo Beach	1	0	1	2
AMOY	May 28	Long Beach	1	0	0	0
AMOY	May 28	Compo Beach	1	1	1	0
AMOY	May 29	Sandy/Morse Points	2	1	1	0
AMOY	May 29	Long Beach	4	1	0	2
AMOY	May 30	Bluff Point	2	0	2	0
AMOY	May 30	Sandy/Morse Points	1	3	0	0
AMOY	May 30	Long Beach	2	0	0	0
COTE	May 24	Milford Point	1	3	1	0
COTE	May 25	Milford Point	0	4	0	0
COTE	May 25	Sandy/Morse Points	0	2	0	0
COTE	May 25	Sandy/Morse Points	0	8	0	0
COTE	May 25	Sandy/Morse Points	0	5	0	0
COTE	May 25	Milford Point	0	2	0	0
COTE	May 26	Milford Point	0	10	0	0
COTE	May 26	Sandy/Morse Points	1	6	0	0
COTE	May 29	Long Beach	1	0	0	0
LETE	May 20	Long Beach	31	0	0	0
LETE	May 22	Sandy/Morse Points	0	8	0	0
LETE	May 24	Milford Point	0	25	1	0
LETE	May 24	Long Beach	2	12	2	0
LETE	May 25	Milford Point	2	21	0	0
LETE	May 25	Long Beach	4	27	2	0
LETE	May 25	Long Beach	6	19	1	0
LETE	May 25	Long Beach	6	25	0	0
LETE	May 25	Milford Point	2	120	0	0
LETE	May 25	Sandy/Morse Points	0	4	0	0
LETE	May 25	Milford Point	6	0	0	0
LETE	May 26	Milford Point	5	40	0	0
LETE	May 26	Sandy/Morse Points	0	12	0	0
LETE	May 26	Bluff Point	0	8	0	0
LETE	May 27	Bluff Point	1	0	0	0
LETE	May 27	Sandy/Morse Points	0	24	0	0
LETE	May 27	Griswold Point	0	6	0	0
LETE	May 28	Long Beach	0	50	0	0
LETE	May 28	Milford Point	0	25	1	0
LETE	May 29	Sandy/Morse Points	0	6	0	0
LETE	May 30	Bluff Point	0	5	0	0
LETE	May 30	Long Beach	1	40	1	0
PIPL	May 21	Milford Point	4	1	3	0
PIPL	May 24	Bluff Point	1	4	2	0
PIPL	May 24	Milford Point	2	7	6	2
PIPL	May 24	Long Beach	2	5	3	0
PIPL	May 25	Compo Beach	1	2	1	0
PIPL	May 25	Sandy/Morse Points	3	8	0	0
PIPL	May 25	Long Beach	2	5	5	0
PIPL	May 25	Sandy/Morse Points	0	12	0	0
PIPL	May 25	Milford Point	1	6	4	0
PIPL	May 25	Long Beach	1	3	4	0
PIPL	May 25	Long Beach	0	5	3	0
PIPL	May 25	Milford Point	6	7	4	0
PIPL	May 25	Long Beach	0	2	1	0
PIPL	May 25	Sandy/Morse Points	1	11	1	0
PIPL	May 25	Sandy/Morse Points	3	15	1	0
PIPL	May 25	Milford Point	2	13	5	0
PIPL	May 26	Milford Point	0	22	0	0
PIPL	May 26	Milford Point	6	6	5	2
PIPL	May 26	Sandy/Morse Points	0	16	1	3
PIPL	May 26	Bluff Point	0	5	3	0
PIPL	May 26	Compo Beach	1	2	1	0
PIPL	May 27	Bluff Point	1	3	0	0
PIPL	May 27	Bluff Point	1	0	0	1
PIPL	May 27	Compo Beach	1	2	1	1
PIPL	May 27	Sandy/Morse Points	2	12	2	4
PIPL	May 27	Griswold Point	1	1	0	0
PIPL	May 28	Compo Beach	0	0	1	0
PIPL	May 28	Milford Point	0	9	3	0
PIPL	May 28	Long Beach	0	3	2	0
PIPL	May 28	Compo Beach	0	0	1	0
PIPL	May 29	Griswold Point	0	1	0	0
PIPL	May 29	Sandy/Morse Points	9	1	2	16
PIPL	May 29	Long Beach	3	0	0	1
PIPL	May 30	Bluff Point	2	3	5	3
PIPL	May 30	Griswold Point	1	0	0	0
PIPL	May 30	Long Beach	0	3	1	0
PIPL	May 30	Sandy/Morse Points	1	3	0	0