Audubon Alliance for Coastal Waterbirds update #1

This is the first update by the Audubon Alliance for Coastal Waterbirds for the 2012 season. We will include weekly updates with data from our staff and volunteers on our four focal species - Piping Plover, Least Tern, American Oystercatcher, and Common Tern. There will be additional data listed on these species from trusted anecdotal sources. There may also be updates on long-legged waders and other shorebirds, if applicable.


Piping Plover
Volunteer and staff surveys:
2 adults at Milford Point on 3/13
1 adult at Milford Point on 3/15
2 adults at Long Beach West on 3/16
1 adult at Harkness Memorial State Park on 3/17
3 pairs at Milford Point on 3/19
1 adult at Long Beach on 3/19

Anecdotal reports:
2 adults at Griswold Point on 3/11
3 adults at Griswold Point on 3/12
3 pairs, 1 mounting and copulating, at Milford Point on 3/17


American Oystercatcher
Volunteer and staff surveys:
1 adult at Milford Point on 3/6
2 adults at Milford Point on 3/7
3 adults flying by Long Beach on 3/9
3 adults at Milford Point on 3/9
2 adults not far up Housatonic River on 3/9
3 adults at Milford Point on 3/15
3 adults at Milford Point on 3/18
2 pairs, 1 adult at Milford Point on 3/19
1 pair at Stratford Point on 3/19

Anecdotal reports:
3 adults near Branford Harbor on 3/9
2 adults at Haycock Point, Branford on 3/9
2 adults at Hammonasset State Park on 3/9
1 adult at the Norwalk Islands on 3/11
3 adults at Milford Point on 3/14
2 adults near Branford Harbor on 3/16
3 adults at the Norwalk Islands on 3/17
3 adults at Compo Beach in Westport on 3/17
2 adults at the Oyster River mouth on 3/17
1 adult at West Haven on 3/18


There have been no reports of Least Tern or Common Tern thus far in 2012.


Including anecdotal information, multiple Great Egret and a few Great Blue Heron have been seen migrating into Connecticut in the past week, both in groups on the coast and in locations otherwise not seen in this abnormally warm winter. Two Snowy Egret have been reported, one in East Lyme (Rocky Neck State Park) and one in Stonington (Quanaduck Cove). One Glossy Ibis was reported yesterday at Hammonasset State Park.


This concludes update #1 through 3/19/12 as of 5:00PM.


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

USFWS, CT DEEP, & Audubon Alliance training videos

The following videos are only small portions of the three-hour plus Piping Plover monitor training and orientation session conducted by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, and the Audubon Alliance for Coastal Waterbirds on March 10, 2012 at the Coastal Center at Milford Point. They are meant to be used as a part of training future volunteers or those who could not attend the session, but if you are a current monitor you may find it helpful to review them.

The videos are primarily of USFWS Ranger Shaun Roche and Refuge Manager Rick Potvin. You will also see and hear from CT DEEP Supervising Wildlife Biologist Jenny Dickson, Audubon Connecticut IBA Coordinator Corrie Folsom-O'Keefe, and hear Connecticut Audubon Society Conservation Technician Scott Kruitbosch, who was behind the camera.

The first video discusses the job of a volunteer monitor, their role, responsibilities, and some of the legalities pertaining to this service.




The second video details the difference between volunteering some of your time for the Audubon Alliance for Coastal Waterbirds and the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service as well as more on your role as an educator on the beach, how to go about that duty, situations to avoid, and how to report incidents or disturbances.




The third video goes further into handling situations on the beach, everything from who to approach or not approach, what to do when you see loose dogs, and what the responsibility of USFWS is to you and the municipality is with respect to their beaches and laws.





While we had a record number of volunteers join us this year, these beach-nesting birds still need more monitors! You can still assist in helping monitor threatened species like the Piping Plover and Least Tern by calling USFWS Ranger Shaun Roche at (860)399-2513 or emailing Shaun_Roche@fws.gov, or emailing us at ctwaterbirds@gmail.com. We will provide further information and, if you are new to volunteering, time with Master Plover Monitors or our staff on the beach. Thank you for your consideration, and thanks again to all of our monitors for the 2012 season.


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

Survey Datasheets

Here are your survey datasheets for the 2012 coastal waterbird season! If you scan to the bottom of this post you can find them in .PDF form. They are below in .jpg form (images) that you can then print out and take into the field whenever you need. You can download these images to your computer for printing in two ways. First, if you click on the images below a larger version of the image will be displayed on your screen. If you right-click this larger image and select save image as you can store it to your computer for printing and viewing - make sure you will be able to find where you put it, such as in a downloads folder or on your desktop.

The first datasheet is for Piping Plovers and American Oystercatchers:

The second is for Least Terns and Common Terns:

The third is for long-legged waders, shorebirds, and other species we would like documented if they are seen breeding. It also includes a simple disturbance form to fill out for our own information. This is not a replacement for the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service disturbance protocols or forms which should be filled out as a priority and returned promptly.

The fourth is more information concerning breeding bird survey codes that we utilize in surveying the birds listed in the previous datasheet:

Alternatively, you can download each image directly by opening and saving the .jpg image files listed in the links below, or directly right-clicking to save them:

Piping Plover and American Oystercatcher datasheet
Least Tern and Common Tern datasheet
Long-legged waders/shorebirds and simple disturbance datasheet
Breeding Bird Survey codes


You can do the same here with these .PDF versions which require Adobe Reader:

Piping Plover and American Oystercatcher datasheet
Least Tern and Common Tern datasheet
Long-legged waders/shorebirds and simple disturbance datasheet
Breeding Bird Survey codes


Thank you so much for your help this season, and if you have any questions, please email us at ctwaterbirds@gmail.com at any time.


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

Shorebird Identification Workshop

The Audubon Alliance for Coastal Waterbirds and the Peabody Museum present an indoor Shorebird Identification Workshop.

Come sharpen your shorebird identification skills and learn how you can help track their distribution and abundance in Connecticut. This seminar will consist of a presentation by Frank Mantlik followed by an opportunity to view the shorebird collections of the Peabody Museum:

Shorebird Workshop - Monday, April 9th at 6:30 PM Yale University Environmental Science Center, New Haven CT (behind the Peabody Museum)

Leaders: Frank Mantlik, Patrick Comins, Scott Kruitbosch and Twan Leenders

This seminar is limited to 30 participants.  To register please email: ctwaterbirds@gmail.com

Help conserve threatened beach nesting birds in Connecticut

Connecticut's shoreline provides critical habitat for the federally threatened Piping Plover. You can help us conserve this threatened beach-nesting species:

•     Do you have an interest in wildlife?
•     Do you enjoy walking along the beaches of Long Island Sound?
•     Can you spare at least two hours a month to help threatened birds in our state?

Please consider volunteering as a Piping Plover monitor for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service!

For the last several years the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, the Connecticut Audubon Society, Audubon Connecticut, The Nature Conservancy and The Friends of Milford Point/Stratford Great Meadows NWR have partnered together to monitor beaches between West Haven and Stratford for nesting Piping Plovers.

These migratory birds return to the Connecticut coast each March from their wintering grounds on the Gulf Coast and stay here up to five months to nest and raise their young.  Located on the beach, their nests are extremely susceptible to human disturbance, destruction by predators, and tidal wash outs. Volunteer monitors make a big difference, enhancing the survival and productivity of plovers and terns in our state.

As a monitors, you will observe and record data about various beach nesting birds and their chicks at one of four locations: Milford Point near the Connecticut Audubon Coastal Center; Silver Sands State Park in Milford; Long Beach in Stratford; and Sandy Point in West Haven. The primary duties involve assisting the USFWS with observation and data collection about nesting Piping Plovers, and helping to educate the public about these species. Volunteers work 2-hour shifts from April until the end of the breeding season (usually in August) and must donate a minimum of 2 hours per month.

If you are interested, please attend the training and orientation session held Saturday, March 10, 2012 from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. at the Connecticut Audubon Coastal Center at Milford Point.

The session will include piping plover natural history, the state of plovers in Connecticut, volunteer organization and logistics, reporting responsibilities, and beach training with simulated plovers and eggs.

For more information on the training session, directions to the Connecticut Audubon Coastal Center, or to make reservations, please call USFWS Ranger Shaun Roche at (860) 399-2513 or email Shaun_Roche@fws.gov

Thank you!

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