Today was the final day for the Audubon Alliance for Coastal Waterbirds volunteer monitor field season. We have now completed monitoring for 2023! Congratulations and thank you to all who have helped us survey for our birds, keep an eye on habitats, watch for disturbances, and educate the public whenever possible. There would be zero fledged Piping Plovers, and a drastically reduced number of American Oystercatchers, Least Terns, Common Terns, and more, without you and our field staff.
Please submit any and all data and information you have for our season via our electronic form, and our final field update will be coming soon. You are more than welcome to share Connecticut eBird checklists with shorebirds, terns, and long-legged waders year-round when you go birding with us via the eBird share function - just use ctwaterbirds@gmail.com, thanks!
With that said, we have more events to come this fall, including two string fencing dates:
-Griswold Point 9/7 @ 9AM-12PM. We will meet at the park and ride off Exit 70 in Old Lyme at 9:00 a.m. Please contact Martha Rice, Volunteer Coordinator at mrice@tnc.org and ctwaterbirds@gmail.com for questions and to register. Don't forget waterproof shoes or work boots!
-Sandy Point 9/13 @ 10 AM. We will meet at the south end of Morse Ave.
Assisting helps AAfCW and aids CT DEEP staff and their busy schedules. It also limits the stress on our birds. Those who join us should remember a few things:
-wear sunscreen and a hat
-drink plenty of water or sports drink and bring a snack
-do not attempt to carry too many stakes as there will be enough volunteers and staff members so that no one should overexert themselves
-take a break when needed
In general we look for everyone we can to help out even if you are not a regular AAfCW monitor or volunteer - the more the merrier. It also makes for a more pleasant morning of bird watching and discussions on the beach. Please RSVP to ctwaterbirds@gmail.com if you will be joining us at Sandy Point, and mrice@tnc.org plus ctwaterbirds@gmail.com if you plan to attend at Griswold Point, thank you!
Best,
Scott Kruitbosch
AAfCW Volunteer Coordinator
