AAfCW 2023 Field Update #4

This is the fourth field update for the AAfCW in 2023 with data provided from volunteer monitors spanning May 22 through May 30. Thank you all for your extra help on Memorial Day weekend! While we saw a lot of people at the beaches, and we had some notable disturbances, we did a terrific job at avoiding any extremely difficult situations. We also reached a lot of curious beachgoers and talked with some wonderful visitors who love our birds.

Newly hatched American Oystercatcher and Piping Plover chicks 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. 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.

Don't forget to refer to the YouTube training sessions if needed...

New monitor training: https://youtu.be/qJTW2WsyUYE
Returning monitor training: https://youtu.be/8qd1ObK0Fo4

Thanks again, and enjoy the beaches!

Species	Date	Location	Pairs	Adults	Nests	Hatchlings
PIPL	May 22	Milford Point	1	9	3	4
AMOY	May 22	Compo Beach	1
COTE	May 22	Compo Beach		3
AMOY	May 22	Milford Point		7
PIPL	May 22	Milford Point		11	8
LETE	May 22	Milford Point		19
PIPL	May 22	Long Beach		2	1
PIPL	May 22	Sandy/Morse Points	7	17	2
AMOY	May 22	Sandy/Morse Points	3	1	1
COTE	May 22	Sandy/Morse Points	20	25	8
COTE	May 22	Sandy/Morse Points	1
AMOY	May 23	Long Beach	2		2
PIPL	May 23	Long Beach	1	6	5
AMOY	May 23	Milford Point	1	6	2	3
PIPL	May 23	Milford Point		20	7
LETE	May 23	Milford Point		37
AMOY	May 23	Long Beach	2		2
PIPL	May 23	Long Beach	1	3	4
AMOY	May 23	Milford Point	1	2	1	1
PIPL	May 23	Milford Point	2	8	6
LETE	May 23	Milford Point		14	2
AMOY	May 23	Bluff Point		4
AMOY	May 23	Sandy/Morse Points	2	1	1
PIPL	May 23	Sandy/Morse Points	1	15	1
LETE	May 23	Sandy/Morse Points		40
AMOY	May 23	Bluff Point		1
PIPL	May 23	Bluff Point		4	2
LETE	May 23	Bluff Point		3
PIPL	May 23	Long Beach	2	8	7
PIPL	May 23	Milford Point	8	16	4
AMOY	May 23	Compo Beach	1	1	1
PIPL	May 24	Sandy/Morse Points		11
LETE	May 24	Sandy/Morse Points		122
AMOY	May 24	Sandy/Morse Points	2	1	1
PIPL	May 24	Sandy/Morse Points	3	18	5
AMOY	May 24	Sandy/Morse Points		5	1
LETE	May 24	Sandy/Morse Points	1	60	9
PIPL	May 24	Long Beach	3	6	8
AMOY	May 24	Long Beach	1	9	2
AMOY	May 24	Long Beach	2		2
PIPL	May 24	Long Beach	1	9	6
LETE	May 24	Long Beach	1
AMOY	May 24	Long Beach		7	2
PIPL	May 24	Long Beach	3	4	7
COTE	May 24	Long Beach		2
PIPL	May 24	Sandy/Morse Points	1	16	2
AMOY	May 24	Sandy/Morse Points		2
LETE	May 24	Sandy/Morse Points		18	1
AMOY	May 24	Long Beach	2	4	2
PIPL	May 24	Long Beach	3	10	8
AMOY	May 25	Sandy/Morse Points		6
PIPL	May 25	Sandy/Morse Points	1	18	6	1
LETE	May 25	Sandy/Morse Points	2	70	7
PIPL	May 25	Long Beach			5
AMOY	May 25	Long Beach		5	2
AMOY	May 25	Griswold Point		3	1
PIPL	May 25	Griswold Point		1
LETE	May 25	Griswold Point	1
PIPL	May 26	Milford Point	2	6	9	5
AMOY	May 26	Milford Point	1
LETE	May 26	Milford Point	7	10	3
PIPL	May 26	Milford Point	1	11	5
AMOY	May 26	Milford Point		2
LETE	May 26	Milford Point	1	22	1
AMOY	May 27	Compo Beach	1		1
AMOY	May 27	Sandy/Morse Points	2		1
PIPL	May 27	Sandy/Morse Points	5	4	7	8
LETE	May 27	Sandy/Morse Points	9	100	25
PIPL	May 28	Sandy/Morse Points	4	1	8	11
AMOY	May 28	Sandy/Morse Points	1	1
LETE	May 28	Sandy/Morse Points		50	10
AMOY	May 28	Long Beach	1		1
PIPL	May 28	Long Beach	3	4	4	7
COTE	May 28	Long Beach	1
AMOY	May 28	Fort Trumbull Beach	1
AMOY	May 28	Long Beach	2	1	2
PIPL	May 28	Long Beach	2	5	5	3
PIPL	May 29	Milford Point	1	6	1	3
AMOY	May 29	Bluff Point	1
LETE	May 29	Bluff Point		1
PIPL	May 29	Bluff Point	3	2	1	2
PIPL	May 29	Short Beach		2
PIPL	May 29	Bluff Point	1	4	1	2
LETE	May 29	Bluff Point	2
AMOY	May 29	Compo Beach	1
COTE	May 29	Compo Beach		6
AMOY	May 30	Long Beach	2	2	2
PIPL	May 30	Long Beach	2	7	2	10
AMOY	May 30	Milford Point	1	1		2
PIPL	May 30	Milford Point	4	7	7	8
LETE	May 30	Milford Point	6	34	6