Sandy Point "Important Bird Area" Clean Up

Sandy Point "Important Bird Area" Clean Up, West Haven

Saturday, September 21, 2013, 9:00 am to noon

The New Haven Bird Club is looking for volunteers to participate in a beach cleanup at Sandy Point IBA in West Haven as part of the Ocean Conservancy's "International Coastal Cleanup Day," captained locally by Save the Sound/Dr. Bob Marra. The cleanup will help prevent predators, attracted by trash, from becoming accustomed to visiting Sandy Point, one of the most important sites in CT for Piping Plovers and other beach-nesting bird species.

Please bring work gloves, sunscreen, and water. Meet at the Savin Rock parking lot on Beach St. (immediately east of Chick's Restaurant/ 183 Beach St., next to the skate park). Come for all or part of the time. Contact: Craig Repasz : 203-230-1697 or crepasz@hotmail.com

AAfCW 2013 Volunteer Update #23

This is the twenty-third and final weekly update by the Audubon Alliance for Coastal Waterbirds (AAfCW) for the 2013 season. Today's update includes reports of Piping Plover, American Oystercatcher, and Common Tern from August 26 through 4:00 p.m. on September 2 with sightings of birds by volunteers and staff spanning that period.

Informational updates:

Our thanks to all who came out to help remove fencing and signage at Bluff Point and Griswold Point last week. We have now completed those efforts for the season. Additionally we would like to thank everyone who has participated in monitoring, surveying, and fencing operations in 2013! We could not have done any of this without you and we appreciate it very much. We hope everyone will return to monitoring in 2014.

However, if you would like to continue surveying for waterbirds through September or even later into the season, please email us if we have not already spoken about it. We welcome additional observations of late Piping Plovers, any terns and the still certainly numerous American Oystercatchers. Other shorebirds and long-legged waders will be observed and recorded by our staff for at least a couple more months, and we will be completing other work such as International Shorebird Surveys.

If you have yet to send us monitoring data please email what you have to us as soon as possible. Finally, if you have eBird checklists with applicable waterbird species you would like to share with us and have not, please do so! If you have any questions, comments, or other feedback, please feel free to email us at any time. This will be the final regular weekly update but our surveying goes on and we will be in contact with all of you again soon.

Survey and monitoring updates:

Piping Plover
1 juvenile at Milford Point on 8/27
10 adults at Sandy/Morse Points on 8/28
1 juvenile at Milford Point on 8/28

American Oystercatcher
1 pair at Griswold Point on 8/26
1 pair at Milford Point on 8/27
3 pairs, 1 juvenile at Menunketesuck Island on 8/27
1 pair, 1 juvenile at Salt Island on 8/27
1 adult at Duck Island on 8/27
1 pair at Branford Harbor on 8/27
1 pair at Sandy/Morse Points on 8/29
1 pair at Bluff Point on 8/29
1 pair at Griswold Point on 8/30

Common Tern
2 juveniles at Branford Harbor on 8/27
1 adult at Griswold Point on 8/30

This concludes update #23 through 9/2/13 as of 5:00 p.m.


Audubon Alliance for Coastal Waterbirds, Audubon Connecticut and the Connecticut Audubon Society partnering to improve conditions for coastal waterbirds in Connecticut.

Bluff Point fencing removal completed

On Thursday, August 29 the Audubon Alliance for Coastal Waterbirds and CT DEEP completed the string fencing removal at Bluff Point State Park with the help of always wonderful volunteers. Bluff Point has a very long stretch of beach. Even driving to the shore in CT DEEP vehicles means this is a long hike carrying very heavy equipment. This is all what makes it such great habitat for our coastal waterbirds in every season. Once again here are some photos taken by Patrick Comins in between walking and hauling stakes.

 Beautiful Bluff Point

 Quite a stretch of beach - great habitat for Piping Plovers, Least Terns, and more

 Our team beginning the long walk out

A gray day but still quite a sight - note the Piping Plover exclosure on the left

 

The crew heading back with some of the materials

You never know what you'll find on a Connecticut beach like this Special Concern species Hairy-necked Tiger Beetle, Cicindela hirticollis

That beetle just goes to show how much is out there in these rare or specialized habitats and why we need to protect them on levels even beyond our birds. Thanks to the volunteers who were able to make it out to Bluff Point to help save some walking, carrying and time. We could not do any of this work without you!


Audubon Alliance for Coastal Waterbirds, Audubon Connecticut and the Connecticut Audubon Society partnering to improve conditions for coastal waterbirds in Connecticut.

Joint Shorebird Identification Workshop

The Audubon Alliance for Coastal Waterbirds recently teamed up with the Connecticut Ornithological Association for a shorebird identification workshop at the Connecticut Audubon Society Coastal Center at Milford Point. It was a beautiful morning at one of the best sites in the state to see shorebirds. Apart from the many attendees there were many, many shorebirds to pick through plus dozens of long-legged waders hanging around. Here are some shots from the event by Patrick Comins.

Can you pick out all the shorebird species in the above photos? Sessions like this one really help both new and veteran birders sharpen their skills as the birds are lined up almost as they would be in a field guide. Observing them with spotting scopes is a superb way to get "up close" looks without disturbing them in the slightest. Note that everyone was on the beaches of Milford Point and did not even have to walk down to the bar and risk flushing any to enjoy their views. Our thanks to everyone who came out to learn more about these often rapidly declining species. We will keep on doing our best to help them during every season of the year.


Audubon Alliance for Coastal Waterbirds, Audubon Connecticut and the Connecticut Audubon Society partnering to improve conditions for coastal waterbirds in Connecticut.

AAfCW 2013 Volunteer Update #22

This is the twenty-second weekly update by the Audubon Alliance for Coastal Waterbirds (AAfCW) for the 2013 season. Today's update includes reports of Piping Plover, American Oystercatcher, and Common Tern from August 19 through 4:00 p.m. on August 26 with sightings of birds by volunteers and staff spanning that period.

Informational updates:

Thank you to everyone who joined us at Sandy/Morse Points for string fencing removal last week! Two fencing removal dates are coming up this week:

Thursday, August 29th at 10:00AM - Bluff Point in Groton
Friday, August 30th at 9:30AM - Griswold Point in Old Lyme (meet at exit 70 park and ride and carpool to beach)

It will be rain or shine, but any thunderstorms will postpone them. Assisting not only helps AAfCW but it also greatly aids those at CT DEEP and The Nature Conservancy who have extremely limited time, and it limits the stress on the birds. Please remember that taking down fencing in August can be physically demanding because of the heat and humidity, and those who join us should remember a few things:
-wear sunscreen
-drink plenty of water or sports drink
-do not attempt to carry too many stakes, there are enough volunteers so that no one should overexert themselves
-anyone who needs to limit physical exertion should stick to winding up string rolls
-take as many breaks as needed

If you are planning to go and haven't told us yet please email us, thank you! Finally, as indicated above there were no sightings of Least Tern in the last week.

Survey and monitoring updates:

Piping Plover
2 fledglings at Sandy/Morse Points on 8/17
1 fledgling at Sandy/Morse Points on 8/19
1 juvenile at Bluff Point on 8/20
2 fledglings at Sandy/Morse Points on 8/20
3 juveniles at Milford Point on 8/21
3 juveniles at Milford Point on 8/21
3 juveniles at Milford Point on 8/21
1 juvenile at Sandy/Morse Points on 8/24
7 juveniles at Sandy/Morse Points on 8/26

American Oystercatcher
1 pair, 1 juvenile at Salt Island on 8/19
3 pairs, 1 juvenile at Menunketesuck Island on 8/19
1 pair, 1 adult, 1 juvenile at Duck Island on 8/19
2 pairs, 2 juveniles at Milford Point on 8/19
1 adult at Griswold Point on 8/19
2 adults at Bluff Point on 8/20
5 adults at Sixpenny Island on 8/20
1 adult at Griswold Point on 8/20
1 pair at Umbrella Island on 8/21
1 pair at Kelsey Island on 8/21
1 pair at Green Island Branford on 8/21
2 adults at Milford Point on 8/21
1 pair at Milford Point on 8/21
1 pair at Sandy/Morse Points on 8/25
1 pair at Griswold Point on 8/25

Common Tern
1 adult at Griswold Point on 8/18

This concludes update #22 through 8/26/13 as of 4:00 p.m.


Audubon Alliance for Coastal Waterbirds, Audubon Connecticut and the Connecticut Audubon Society partnering to improve conditions for coastal waterbirds in Connecticut.