AAfCW Field Update #8

The final stretch!

We have officially entered the last month of the shorebird breeding season. Over the next several weeks, birds will leave our beaches, and we will continue our clean-up efforts to remove fencing and signage from all sites across the shoreline until the 2026 breeding season begins next spring. We kindly ask that volunteers continue monitoring through the official end date of August 31st to help us capture data on birds that are still present at our beaches.

If you are interested in assisting Audubon and CT DEEP staff with fencing removal, please see below for details about upcoming fencing removal events and RSVP by emailing ctwaterbirds@gmail.com

• Long Beach, Stratford (beaches 1&2 only): Thurs 8/21 @ 10 am
• Sandy Point, West Haven: Tues 8/26 @ 10 am
• Griswold Point, Old Lyme: Tues 9/2 @ 11 am

Volunteer tasks include pulling wooden stakes out of the ground, wrapping spools of string, and carrying signage off of the beach. If you would like to join us, please bring sunscreen, a hat, work gloves, and LOTS of water (remember that it can get very hot on the beach in the middle of the day!). Do not attempt to carry too many stakes as there will be enough staff and volunteers that no one should overexert themselves. Remember to take breaks when needed. As always, please reach out to ctwaterbirds@gmail.com if you have any questions!

Note: We have reached volunteer capacity for fencing removal at Bluff Point on Tuesday, August 12th. Staff are closely monitoring the weather, and we will postpone the event if it looks like it will be too hot for us to safely work. If you RSVPed to assist at Bluff Point, please keep an eye out for an email from me on Monday to confirm if the event will still take place. Thank you! 

Special event on August 16th: "Salt Marsh Day: Creature Feature" at Hammonasset Beach State Park (last of the season!)

Visit Meigs Point Nature Center at Hammonasset Beach State Park on Saturday, August 16th between 10am-4pm to learn about creatures of the salt marsh! Visit the marsh, join Meigs Point Nature Center staff on a guided trail walk, and watch The Making of Birds of America: Chapter 1 a filmmaker's account of their experience filming Saltmarsh Sparrows. Marisa Fajardo from The Maritime Aquarium will also be giving a guest lecture on salt marsh function in relation to climate change. Please see below for a full itinerary: 

Volunteer Spotlight: 

I would like to introduce you all to the subject of this week's volunteer spotlight, Patty Sbrega!

Patty monitoring at Milford Point

Where do you conduct your shorebird monitoring? 

I monitor at Milford Point on Tuesday mornings. I started volunteering with the Audubon Alliance for Coastal Waterbirds in April 2022.

What is your favorite part of volunteering as a shorebird monitor?

Patty's mom's bird book. Photo: Patty Sbrega

I guess you could say that I started birding at a very young age.  I remember my mother and I would watch the songbirds at the feeders just outside our window.  She had a bird book that she would note the date and place she saw a bird for the first time. The oldest date in that book is from 1964, when I was only 8 years old.  I still have her book and it brings back great memories. Although my mom is gone, she left me with the love of bird watching. Now I watch the birds at my own feeders and I chart which ones I see.  

Then in April 2022 I saw Audubon Alliance for Coastal Waterbirds was looking for volunteers to monitor the endangered species.  The only shorebirds I knew were seagulls, and I thought all seagulls were the same.  So you might say, I thought it was time for me to spread my wings, but I had a lot to learn.  Thanks to the training webinars and the reference material that was provided I started my new adventure.  I also got a lot of advice from talking to other birders at the shore.  I learned a lot especially from Bill and Kathy, and Matt and Johann.  This is my third season monitoring and I still love seeing the birds and I especially get excited when I see the little chicks.  Just knowing that I’m doing my part to help save them is so rewarding. I monitor the birds to the end of the point every week. To avoid double counting, on my return I pick up the garbage that I see on the beach.  It’s kind of funny, I’ve been told that from afar many people recognize me with my garbage bag.

American Avocet. Photo: Patty Sbrega

My most exciting experience while monitoring was April 18, 2023.  Out on one of the sandbars I saw a bunch of dark colored birds and one white bird.  Looking through my binoculars I saw it wasn’t a seagull but a bird I never saw before. Unfortunately, I couldn’t see a lot of detail with my binoculars, but luck would have it that Bill and Kathy were close by, and they had a scope.  Looking through the scope we could see all the details and saw that it was an American Avocet right here on Milford Point amongst a flock of Brant.  Later that same year, August 29, I got to see the Roseate Spoonbill that made a stop at Milford Point.  Another rare sighting for this area.

 

What do you do outside of your volunteer work?

I have been retired from the Postal Service since 2020.  Since retiring, my husband and I have done a lot of traveling, volunteer with the CT Food Share Truck at St Mary’s Church in Derby, are very active with the Senior Centers especially Shelton Seniors, and my biggest passion along with monitoring the shorebirds is volunteering with Monarch Watch and Journey North monitoring and raising Monarch butterflies.  After learning how the monarch population has declined 90% over the past 50 years due to deforestation in Mexico, use of pesticides and herbicides, and climate change, and realizing how few I see these days compared to when I was young, I decided to do my part.  The only plant that the Monarchs will lay their eggs on is milkweed, so I started out by planting 3 types of milkweed plants in my yard and made a pollinator garden.  Over the years I became more involved and started to raise the Monarchs from the eggs they laid on my milkweed plants.  Then 2 years ago I got involved with Citizen Science and started to tag the generation that migrates to Mexico for the winter.  This is to help Monarch Watch to study their migration patterns. Last year was my best year. I released 227 Monarchs, said a prayer for them and named every single one. 

Monarch butterfly (with tag). Photo: Patty Sbrega

I feel my mission now is to spread the word about the declining Monarch population.  For the past two years I have given talks at different organizations to help people become more aware of the declining Monarch population and inform them how simple it is for them to help.  This year at my talks I handed out 120 seedling plants that I grew from my own seeds so people can plant them in their own yards. And fall is the best time to plant milkweed seeds, so I hand out seeds that I harvest from my own gardens with an information sheet of how to plant the seeds and why it is so important to save our pollinators.

Releasing a Monarch butterfly (featuring Rusty). Photo: Patty Sbrega

If you would like to nominate a fellow volunteer for an upcoming volunteer spotlight, email us at ctwaterbirds@gmail.com!

Latest Monitoring Data

Here is a summary of all volunteer-collected data submitted between July 24th and August 8th, 2025.

• Number of volunteer reports submitted: 57
• Total volunteer monitoring hours: 95
• Number of beachgoers engaged in conversations about birds/conservation: 94

Piping Plover. Photo: Scott Gilbert/Audubon Photography Awards

Piping Plover Data Summary

Piping Plover Pair Observations

There were Piping Plover pairs observed at Long Beach, Milford Point, and Sandy Point between July 24th and August 8th.

There are no more sites with Piping Plover nests. We will be sharing fledge reports in upcoming weeks once official numbers have been tallied. Thank you for your patience!

American Oystercatcher and Willet. Photo: Patricia Kappmeyer/Audubon Photography Awards

American Oystercatcher Data Summary

American Oystercatcher Pair Observations

There were American Oystercatcher pairs observed at Compo Beach, Pleasure Beach, Long Beach, Milford Point, Sandy Point, Griswold Point, and Bluff Point between July 24th and August 8th.

Common Tern. Photo: Justin Schmidt/Audubon Photography Awards

Common Tern Data Summary

Adult Common Tern Observations

There were Common Terns observed at Compo Beach, Pleasure Beach, Long Beach, Milford Point, Sandy Point, Griswold Point, and Waterford Town Beach between July 24th and August 8th.

Least Tern. Photo: Martin Culpepper/Audubon Photography Awards

Least Tern Data Summary

Adult Least Tern Observations

There were Least Terns observed at Pleasure Beach, Long Beach, Milford Point, Sandy Point, Griswold Point, Waterford Town Beach, and Bluff Point between July 24th and August 8th.

---

Thank you all for your time and dedication towards protecting our shorebirds! 

Marissa

Audubon CT Volunteer Coordinator

**All photos are licensed for use through the National Audubon Society. Audubon Connecticut is a state office of the National Audubon Society**