Can you spot the Piping Plover?

See if you can spot the Piping Plover in the picture below, one of a few photos taken by Audubon Alliance for Coastal Waterbirds staff member Scott Kruitbosch on Long Beach in Stratford. This is not an easy task, but it is definitely good practice! Click on it to see it in a larger size.

Quite difficult, eh? Try this closer view...

If you have not found it yet this final view should be easy...

And there it is, hunkered down in the sand among the shells and other debris. This is a position you may often see Piping Plovers in when they are attempting to hide from predators and other threats. In this case, the bird was seemingly attempting to stay out of the strong wind and cold air while in the midst of foraging, and the photos were taken from quite a distance with a big zoom.

If you are a true Piping Plover master monitor you may have been so talented to see through this little game even further and determine that the first two photos had two Piping Plovers in them. If you have spotted the first one or went back to see it in the previous photos, see if you can detect the other bird.

Below are the three photos with the Piping Plovers circled in them.

This is only a small taste of how hard it can be to see them, their nest and eggs, and young, and why we must be so careful on the beach and help educate others to be aware of their presence.


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

Audubon Alliance for Coastal Waterbirds update #2

Here are the survey and monitoring updates for March 19 through 25.

Piping Plover
Volunteer and staff surveys:
1 pair, 1 adult at Sandy/Morse Points on 3/20
3 adults at Sandy/Morse Points on 3/22
1 pair at Bluff Point on 3/22
5 adults at Long Beach on 3/23
1 adult at Milford Point on 3/23
1 adult at Long Beach West on 3/24
5 adults at Long Beach on 3/25

Anecdotal reports:
3 adults at Griswold Point on 3/21
7 adults at Milford Point on 3/24
2 adults at Milford Point on 3/25

No PIPL have been seen at Silver Sands State Park despite several surveys. No PIPL have been seen at Pleasure Beach on a few surveys.

American Oystercatcher
Volunteer and staff surveys:
1 pair at Sandy/Morse Points on 3/20
2 adults at Stratford Point on 3/21
1 pair at Great Captain Island on 3/22
1 pair at Calf Islands on 3/22
1 pair, 1 adult at Sandy/Morse Points on 3/23
2 pairs at Milford Point plus possibly more individuals on 3/23
9 adults at Sandy Point in Stonington on 3/23
2 adults at Milford Point on 3/25

Anecdotal reports:
2 adults flying by Calf Pasture Beach in Norwalk on 3/19
2 adults at Hammonassett State Park on 3/22
1 adult at Hammonassett State Park on 3/23
3 adults at Harkness Memorial State Park on 3/24
4 adults at Nathan Hale Drive in Norwalk on 3/24
2 adults at Hammonassett State Park on 3/24
1 adult at Sunken Island on 3/25
2 adults at Stratford Point on 3/25

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

Staff and volunteers have noted a sizable influx of Great Egret in the last week, with multiple birds being seen migrating in Long Island Sound. They have also been seen in areas such as Griswold Point, Stratford Great Meadows, Stratford and Milford Points, Hammonasset State Park, the Norwalk River, Lake Whitney in Hamden, Station 43 in South Windsor, Konold’s Pond in Woodbridge, Rocky Neck State Park in Niantic,  Selleck’s/Dunlap Woods in Darien, Peck’s Pond in Stratford, Gallinule Pond in Stratford, Southport Beach, Sherwood Island State Park in Westport, the Mianus River Fishway, the Branford River, the Knox Preserve in Stonington, and even more. Their initial arrival appears complete across the state at a relatively early date.

A few more Snowy Egret have been seen including 2 at Rocky Neck State Park in Niantic, 2 at Milford Point, 1 in Stratford Great Meadows, and 1 more in Stonington. The first Yellow-crowned Night-Heron have returned with 1 adult and 3 immature birds seen at Silver Sands State Park in Milford. Black-crowned Night-Heron continue to be seen occasionally around Stratford and Milford only in minor numbers of up to several birds.

This concludes update #2 through 3/25/12 as of 11:00PM.


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

Confusing shorebirds - a pair of Sanderling

We recently spotted two white shorebirds running in and out of the dunes of Sandy Point in West Haven in the fog. They were acting like a pair and interacting with another pair of Piping Plover. However, they were not Piping Plovers themselves despite their possibly confusing appearance - they were Sanderling.

Most of the time we see Piping Plovers confused with Killdeer because of their similar enough appearance and behavior. Sanderling are often in large groups on the shore, sometimes mixed with Dunlin, closer to the waves, and feeding at the high tide line at the highest point. It was very strange to see these two acting like they were Piping Plovers and goes to show you that you never know quite what to expect with individual birds. Here is a brief paragraph from the CT DEEP website on Piping Plover appearance:

Identification: Piping plovers are white below and creamy brown above, the color of dry sand. During the breeding season, they have a single black neck band that is sometimes incomplete and a black bar above the white forehead. This black neck band is completely lacking in winter. Their primary feathers are dark brown. The rump is white, contrasting with the brown back and tail, which are very conspicuous in the bird's distraction display. The bill is orange with a black tip; the feet are also orange. The voice is a clear "peep-lo"; often only the "peep" is given. The piping plover is often confused with another member of its family, the killdeer, which has 2 black bands across its chest and is larger than the plover. 

Note that the Sanderling do not have any colored bands, and compare their photos to the rest of the description.

A Piping Plover on that same day:

A closer shot of one of the Sanderling:

What else is different? Note the legs, body and head shape, and bill color and size. Have you seen any other birds behaving like Piping Plovers or providing for confusion moments?


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

American Oystercatchers return as well

Single and paired American Oystercatchers are now being seen even more frequently than Piping Plovers in Connecticut, from one end to the other. They've been spotted on Sandy Point in Stonington all the way to Great Captain Island off Greenwich. Many have been seen at some of the best known Piping Plover nesting spots such as Milford Point.

Below you can see a pair at foggy Sandy Point in West Haven this week as photographed by staff member Scott Kruitbosch.

Remember, we would like you to report American Oystercatcher sightings to us as well during your Piping Plover monitoring time in the same way you report them. This is a tremendous help to us and to their conservation in Connecticut. Every time we log a sighting with the details we request we learn a great deal about the species in our state and can work to ensure them a successful breeding season.


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

Piping Plovers return!

Piping Plovers have been spotted across the Connecticut coast already, including Long Beach in Stratford, Milford Point in Milford, Griswold Point in Old Lyme, Sandy and Morse Points in West Haven, and Harkness Memorial State Park in Waterford. Multiple pairs have been seen in Milford and nesting efforts may already be getting underway.

Check out these great photos from Timothy L. Thompson of an adult Piping Plover that was seen on March 17 at Harkness Memorial State Park.

Photos like these are also great in helping people learn the finer points of Piping Plover identification, and we encourage you to pass our blog entries on to others - friends, family, or interested folks you may meet while monitoring. We hope you find a Piping Plover at your local beach soon as more will be on the way each day now.


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