Volunteer help needed!

Volunteer help needed!

June 1 through June 9 is the Piping Plover Census Window in Connecticut.  During this window, we try to check typical non-breeding beaches just in case we have missed a piping plover pair or two!  Volunteers, if you have the ability to walk any of these beaches listed below and email laura.saucier@ct.gov the following information, we would be grateful for the help:

1.       beach name (include town),

2.       date visited,

3.       amount of time spent walking beach looking for piping plovers,

4.       # of piping plovers observed (#adults, #chicks and # of nests),

5.       behavior (foraging, acting territorial, etc.)


You likely will have to ask permission to access some of these areas; DEEP does not have any regular established contact with these sites.  Showing your DEEP piping plover volunteer monitor badge and explaining that you will only be on-site for a short period of time to scout the beach for nesting shorebirds, will usually get you allowance into most sites.

If there are questions, please let me know.

Thanks,

Laura

Below is the list we have compiled over the years of sites that may have potential:

Piping Plover Census Areas (typically non-breeding sites)



·         Sand Island, Greenwich

·         Greenwich Point Park, Greenwich

·         St. Vincent Island (Stamford Land Trust), Stamford

·         Calf Pasture Beach, Norwalk

·         Sasco Hill Beach (Fairfield Country Club), Fairfield

·         Fairfield Town Beach

·         Jennings Beach, Fairfield

·         Penfield Beach, Fairfield

·         Compo Beach State Park, Westport

·         Driftwood Point, Westport

·         Sherwood Island State Park, Westport

·         Seaside Park, Bridgeport

·         St. Mary’s by the Sea, Bridgeport

·         Lordship/Russian Beach, Stratford

·         Stratford Point, Stratford

·         Laurel Beach, Milford

·         Fort Trumbull Beach, Milford

·         Walnut Beach, Milford

·         Silver Sands State Park, Milford

·         Savin Rock, W. Haven

·         Nathan Hale Park Beach, New Haven

·         E. Shore Park, E. Haven

·         Lighthouse Point Park, E. Haven

·         Cosey Beach, E. Haven

·         Kelsey Island, Branford

·         Whalers Point Rd?

·         Guilford Town Beach, Guilford

·         Jacobs Beach, Guilford

·         Grass Island, Guilford

·         Chaffinch Is. Rd., Guilford

·         Madison Town Beach, Madison

·         Clinton Town Beach, Clinton

·         Hammonasset SP swimming beaches, Clinton

·         Grove Beach, Clinton

·         Small Beach, Clinton

·         West Beach, Westbrook

·         Grass Island, Westbrook

·         Salt Island, Westbrook

·         Westbrook private beaches, Westbrook

·         Old Saybrook Town Beach, Old Saybrook

·         Fenwick Point, Old Saybrook

·         Mile Creek Beach, Old Lyme

·         White Sands Beach, Old Lyme

·         Millstone Beach, Waterford

·         Pleasure Beach, Waterford

·         Jordan Cove, Waterford (2 or 3 new spits forming here)

·         Rocky Neck State Park, Niantic

·         Old Black Point Beach, Niantic

·         Attawan Beach, Niantic

·         Niantic Bay Beach, Niantic

·         Eastern Point, New London

·         Pine Island, New London

·         Esker Point, Groton (small; not likely that birds would nest here)

·         Latimer Point Beach, Stonington

·         Mason’s Island Beach, Stonington

·         Ram Island Beach, Stonington