AAfCW Field Season Update #4

Upcoming Events:

Join Audubon Alliance staff at the Meigs Point Nature Center on June 20th, July 18th, and August 15th from 10am-4pm for a family-friendly event focused on Connecticut’s salt marsh ecosystems. Each of this summer's Salt Marsh Days is focused on one aspect of Salt Marsh ecology. This month, the theme is "Birds of the Marsh"! Please see the event schedule below for more details:

Diamondback Terrapin researchers need your help!

Researchers at Western Connecticut State University are requesting our help to report Diamondback Terrapin sightings at sites across Connecticut. If you observe a Diamondback Terrapin while you are monitoring birds at your site, please take photos of the individual (as long as it is not actively laying eggs) and report your sightings to the WCSU research group by completing their survey on the flyer below: 

Additionally, if you find a dead or injured Diamondback Terrapin while monitoring, you can report it by calling the phone numbers on the flyer below:

Audubon Alliance Field Staff Spotlight: Theresa Galban

Theresa assisting CT DEEP with Canada Goose banding. Photo: Tayler Grimm

Where do you monitor shorebirds? 

I’m the Audubon Coastal Waterbirds Technician for the Western portion of the state. That means I monitor beaches from Stratford to Greenwich, but I spend most of my time at Long Beach in Stratford, Pleasure Beach in Bridgeport, and Compo Beach and Sherwood Island State Park in Westport.

When did you begin working for Audubon? 

I started working for Audubon at the start of the 2025 nesting season, so this is my second season on the beaches!

How did you get here? What would you like to do next?

I guess you could say I started my career volunteering in high school at New Pond Farm Education Center, an environmental education center in Redding, CT. New Pond really sparked my love for animals and the environment, which led me to go to Franklin & Marshall College, where I double majored in Animal Behavior and Environmental Science and graduated in 2024. During school, I got to intern for the Pennsylvania Game Commission and discovered that I really want to work in wildlife conservation doing field work. After graduating, I got a seasonal job doing stream and vegetation surveys for trout habitat in the Catskills. My next position was spending the winter working with waterfowl on NYC reservoirs in Westchester County. I’ve worked that job for two seasons now and plan to go back for a third.  After my first waterfowl season, I started my first season with Audubon CT, and here I am in my second season. In the future, I’d love to do more seasonal jobs to get more experience and meet new people, but long term I want to get my master’s degree in wildlife conservation and continue doing field work after that! 

What is your favorite part about this job?

I love that I get to be outside every day and that every day is different, but mostly I love that I get to experience the shorebirds on a level most people typically never do. Being on the beaches every day, I get to know the birds’ personalities a little bit, and witness their entire mating cycle, from the birds establishing territories, to laying eggs, to the chicks arriving, growing up and fledging. I get to witness the chicks’ first days of life and watch them skitter around the beach on their adorable toothpick legs, which feels really special.

Piping Plovers. Photo: Theresa Galban

Who or what was the biggest influence that led to your career working with wildlife?

I wouldn’t say there’s any one person or thing that influenced me, but a combination of factors. My parents definitely were a big part of it. I was raised as an “outdoor kid”, and my mother has a distinct love for wildlife that she shared with me, so I grew up knowing I wanted to work with animals. We also lived down the road from New Pond Farm, where I learned more about ecology and the environment, and discovered that I want to work in wildlife conservation. 

What do you like to do outside of work?

I love spending time outside and exercising, I ski and snowboard in the winter, and hike in the summer. I’ve always loved baking and have recently gotten into sourdough, which has been a fun challenge. I also love reading and crocheting, and spending time with my cat.

Volunteer Monitoring Data:

Here is a summary of all volunteer-collected data submitted between May 29th and June 12th, 2026.

• Number of volunteer reports submitted: 110
• Total volunteer monitoring hours: 176
• Number of beachgoers engaged in conversations about birds/conservation: 217

Piping Plover. Photo: Susan Allen/Audubon Photography Awards

Piping Plover Data Summary:

Piping Plover Individual Adult Observations

There were Piping Plover adults observed at Long Beach, Short Beach, Milford Point, Silver Sands, Sandy Point, Griswold Point, and Bluff Point between May 29th and June 12th, 2026.

Piping Plover nest counts:

	Laying/Incubating	Failed	Hatched
Bluff Point - Groton	2	3	4
Waterford Town Beach - Waterford	0	0	0
Griswold Point - Old Lyme	2	0	1
Hammonasset (West Beach) - Madison	0	0	0
Sandy Point Bird Sanctuary - West Haven	5	3	5
Silver Sands State Park - Milford	1	0	0
Milford Point - Milford	7	9	15
Short Beach - Stratford	1	0	0
Russian Beach - Stratford	0	0	0
Long Beach - Stratford	4	4	8
Sherwood Island - Westport	0	0	1
Greenwich Point Park - Greenwich	0	0	0

American Oystercatcher. Photo: Douglas Duncan/Audubon Photography Awards

American Oystercatcher Data Summary:

American Oystercatcher Individual Adult Observations

There were American Oystercatcher adults observed at Compo Beach, Long Beach, Milford Point, Silver Sands, Sandy Point, Griswold Point, Waterford Town Beach, and Bluff Point between May 29th and June 12th, 2026.

American Oystercatcher nest counts:

	Laying/Incubating	Failed	Hatched
Bluff Point - Groton	1	1	0
Waterford Town Beach - Waterford	0	0	0
Griswold Point - Old Lyme	0	2	0
Hammonasset (West Beach) - Madison	0	0	0
Sandy Point Bird Sanctuary - West Haven	0	0	4
Silver Sands State Park - Milford	0	2	0
Milford Point - Milford	2	14	0
Short Beach - Stratford	0	0	0
Russian Beach - Stratford	0	0	0
Long Beach - Stratford	1	4	1
Sherwood Island - Westport	0	0	0
Greenwich Point Park - Greenwich	0	2	0

Least Terns. Photo: Kyle Matera/Audubon Photography Awards

Least Tern Data Summary:

Least Tern Adult Observations

There were Least Terns observed at Long Beach, Milford Point, Sandy Point, Hammonasset, Griswold Point, Waterford Town Beach, and Bluff Point between May 29th and June 12th, 2026.

Common Tern. Photo: Xianwei Zeng/Audubon Photography Awards

Common Tern Data Summary:

Common Tern Adult Observations

There were Common Terns observed at Long Beach, Milford Point, Sandy Point, Hammonasset, Griswold Point, and Waterford Town Beach between May 29th and June 12th, 2026.

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Thank you to our volunteers for all that you do to help us protect our nesting shorebirds!

AAfCW Field Season Update #3

 Chicks are here!

Thank you to everybody who took time out of their gloomy Memorial Day Weekend to check on the birds during gaps in the rain! The poor weather kept many of the large beach crowds at bay, and during that time, nests began hatching across the shoreline! Now, there are Piping Plover and American Oystercatcher chicks on several beaches. As these chicks grow over the upcoming weeks and months, our presence on the beach will help ensure that they can grow and fledge successfully. 

As temperatures continue to warm, please remember to cancel your monitoring shift if temperatures are above 90°F. This is not only for the birds, but for your safety as well! Remember to wear sunscreen and bring plenty of water when you go out to monitor.

Audubon Alliance Field Staff Spotlight: Johann Heupel

Johann with a Diamondback Terrapin hatchling. Photo: Mekhala Attonito

When did you begin working for the Connecticut Audubon Society?

I began working for the Connecticut Audubon Society in April of 2023, at the start of the shorebird season that year. 

What does a typical workday look like for you?

A typical workday involves a morning survey at Milford Point before the heat of the day, between eight and nine in the morning, which continues for several hours. The priority for that first survey is to check all the incubating nests, count all brooding chicks, and speak with as many photographers, birders, and beachgoers as possible about the target species. After that, I continue walking the property to answer people’s questions and strike up conversations about the shorebird work, survey specific areas of the sandbar to check on potential new pairs and take care of any maintenance work that needs to be done. Lately, this has also included maintaining the trail cameras used to monitor American Oystercatcher nests for predation and downloading footage of foxes, coyotes, and other predators on the sandbar. The outreach part of my job has lately included leading weekly bird walks for guests at the Coastal Center, checking in with our Audubon Alliance partners on ongoing procedures and monitoring, and helping educate interns about the conservation work happening at CT Audubon.

What is the coolest or most interesting thing that you’ve observed during this work?

I have been fortunate enough to work in shorebird biology for the past four spring-fall seasons, and every single season I can watch a Piping Plover nest as it hatches. The incubating adults become uncomfortable on their eggs inside the exclosures, seemingly shifting constantly as one of the eggs begins to hatch. Next, you might see tiny legs or a small head pop out from the safety of their parent’s feathers, but every single time I witness it, it is a magical sight to observe them first emerging into the world. Equally cool is when I get to observe young Diamondback terrapins emerge from their nests, running to the water at the size of a quarter.

How did you get here? What would you like to do next?

I grew up in a household where science was constantly talked about, after my Dad started going back to school for Oceanography at UCONN. My mother homeschooled me, taking the opportunity to teach more science than the standard curriculum would, which encouraged me to attend a Marine Science high school. I dove headfirst into history and science, earning a presidential scholarship and going to UCONN to learn about both the ecology of New England and its crucial habitats, as well as the environmental history of our country and the ways to restore some of our crucial habitats. As part of my Marine Science degree, I started with a research lab doing fieldwork in the local Mystic River Estuary, taking underwater photographs of seaweed and seagrass beds alongside sediment samples. After graduating, I briefly worked for the CT DEEP Sturgeon Survey as a field technician, operating the trailered boats up and down the Connecticut River to find and tag endangered sturgeon.

My hope in the next part of my career is to focus more full-time on the education and outreach portion of the shorebird monitoring, going back to school to get a Master’s degree in Environmental Communication, to make an impact on public awareness and opinion on conservation topics.

Johann holding an American Oystercatcher (all birds handled with federal permits and training). Photo: Beth Amendola

Who was the biggest influence that led to your career working with wildlife?

I think the biggest influence on my desire to work with nature in the future was David Attenborough – all of the amazing documentaries that he narrated. The beautiful visuals of far away natural places stuck with me. I would also have to say my parents however, my father went back to school for oceanography when I was a kid, and my mother homeschooled me and took me to the forest, the beach, and the marsh to learn about different birds and plants. Since that age, when I was around seven or eight years old, I knew that eventually I wanted to work with wildlife in some capacity.

What do you like to do outside of work? 

I have played stringed instruments for almost twenty years, particularly guitar and mandolin! I love folk music, traditional and modern, and play whenever I can. I also give presentations to the public on the history of sea music, after I used to work at the Mystic Seaport Museum as a performer and interpreter. I love fantasy books and games, such as Lord of the Rings and the Witcher, and love attending Renaissance Faires. When I am not on the beach and doing field work with piping plovers, I love birding and doing nature photography as well!

Field staff installing signage at Milford Point. Photo: Stefan Martin

Volunteer Monitoring Data

Here is a summary of all volunteer-collected data submitted between May 15th and May 29th.

• Number of volunteer reports submitted: 101
• Total volunteer monitoring hours: 161
• Number of beachgoers engaged in conversations about birds/conservation: 157

Piping Plover. Photo: William Pully/Audubon Photography Awards

Piping Plover Data Summary:

Piping Plover Individual Adult Observations

There were Piping Plover adults observed at Sherwood Island, Long Beach, Milford Point, Silver Sands, Sandy Point, Hammonasset, Griswold Point, Waterford Town Beach, and Bluff Point between May 15th and May 29th, 2026.

Piping Plover nest counts:

	Laying/Incubating	Failed	Hatched
Bluff Point - Groton	3	2	3
Waterford Town Beach - Waterford	0	0	0
Griswold Point - Old Lyme	2	0	0
Hammonasset (West Beach) - Madison	0	0	0
Sandy Point Bird Sanctuary - West Haven	4	2	6
Silver Sands State Park - Milford	1	0	0
Milford Point - Milford	6	8	9
Russian Beach - Stratford	0	0	0
Long Beach - Stratford	7	3	4
Sherwood Island - Westport	0	0	1
Greenwich Point Park - Greenwich	0	0	0

American Oystercatcher. Photo: Lorraine Minns/Audubon Photography Awards

American Oystercatcher Data Summary:

American Oystercatcher Individual Adult Observations

There were American Oystercatcher adults observed at Greenwich Point Park, Sherwood Island, Long Beach, Milford Point, Silver Sands, Sandy Point, Hammonasset, Griswold Point, Waterford Town Beach, and Bluff Point between May 15th and May 29th, 2026.

American Oystercatcher nest counts:

	Laying/Incubating	Failed	Hatched
Bluff Point - Groton	1	1	0
Waterford Town Beach - Waterford	0	0	0
Griswold Point - Old Lyme	0	1	0
Hammonasset (West Beach) - Madison	0	0	0
Sandy Point Bird Sanctuary - West Haven	0	0	4
Silver Sands State Park - Milford	1	1	0
Milford Point - Milford	3	11	0
Russian Beach - Stratford	0	0	0
Long Beach - Stratford	1	3	1
Sherwood Island - Westport	0	0	0
Greenwich Point Park - Greenwich	1	1	0

Least Terns. Photo: Robert Blanchard/Audubon Photography Awards

Least Tern Data Summary:

Least Tern Adult Observations

There were Least Tern adults observed at Long Beach, Milford Point, Silver Sands, Sandy Point, Hammonasset, Griswold Point, Waterford Town Beach, and Bluff Point between May 15th and May 29th, 2026.

Common Tern. Photo: Robert Cook/Audubon Photography Awards

Common Tern Data Summary:

Common Tern Adult Observations

There were Common Tern adults observed at Long Beach, Milford Point, Silver Sands, Sandy Point, Griswold Point, and Bluff Point between May 15th and May 29th, 2026.

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Thank you to our volunteers for all that you do to help us protect our nesting shorebirds!