AAfCW 2019 Volunteer Update #3

This is the third regular weekly update by the Audubon Alliance for Coastal Waterbirds (AAfCW) for the 2019 season. Today's update includes reports of Piping Plover, American Oystercatcher, Least Tern and Common Tern from May 14 through 9:00pm on May 21 with sightings of birds by volunteers and staff spanning the period.

Informational updates:

Once again a number of monitoring visits were canceled due to the constant rainy conditions. May is a very busy time for bird migration, and we continue to be near the peak of shorebirds migrating through the region. Species such as Semipalmated Sandpipers, Semipalmated Plovers, Ruddy Turnstones, Black-bellied Plovers, Sanderlings, and more are all found in the same locations as our Piping Plovers. Other similar birds like Killdeer have nests and young in the same habitats. Please keep this in mind when identifying our focal species. A helpful CT DEEP document can be found here: http://www.ct.gov/deep/lib/deep/wildlife/pdf_files/nongame/CTShorebirds.pdf

We now have Piping Plovers and American Oystercatchers hatching in Connecticut, with more to come in the next few weeks. The stormy weather and high tides lately did wash some nests away, especially impacting our plovers. Please remember whether it is a marked bird, a disturbance of note that however does not reach “take” status, a new nest, and other significant information, please email CT DEEP (Laura.Saucier@ct.gov and Rebecca.Foster@ct.gov) and AAfCW directly about it with all the information you can as soon as possible. 

Also bear in mind that with changing weather conditions, tides, time of day, beach visitors, foraging vs. incubation and behaviors, the number of birds you see may differ from what other observers do even on the same day. Having coverage of multiple monitors and staff on a given day can be desirable as well for this reason and for better coverage of our beaches.

Negative data should still be reported whenever you visit a beach and do not see any Piping Plovers, Least Terns, American Oystercatchers, or Common Terns. If your beach has none of our four focal species still in the next couple of weeks you can change locations to another more busy location if you would like. Reporting monitoring observations using the online data entry form is still the best method to submit your information. Please remember to email us directly at ctwaterbirds@gmail.com if you have any questions or run into any problems. Thank you all for all your hard work!

Survey and monitoring updates: 

Piping Plover

1 pair, 1 adult, 2 nests at Sandy/Morse Points on 5/15

4 adults, 2 nests at Sandy/Morse Points on 5/15

8 pairs, 6 nests at Long Beach on 5/16

1 adult, 1 nest at Bluff Point on 5/16

7 pairs, 1 adult, 6 nests at Milford Point on 5/16

4 pairs, 3 nests at Milford Point on 5/16

1 pair, 5 adults, 1 nest at Bluff Point on 5/17

11 adults, 7 nests at Long Beach on 5/17

5 pairs, 2 adults, 4 nests at Bluff Point on 5/17

1 adult at Waterford Beach on 5/17

1 pair, 1 adult, 1 nest at Silver Sands State Park on 5/17

3 pairs, 4 adults, 2 nests, 3 hatchlings at Bluff Point on 5/18

4 pairs, 8 adults, 8 nests, at Long Beach on 5/18

2 adults at Sandy/Morse Points on 5/18

2 pairs, 8 adults, 2 nests at Sandy/Morse Points on 5/19

1 pair at Griswold Point on 5/19

1 pair at Silver Sands State Park on 5/19

9 pairs, 8 nests at Long Beach on 5/20

1 adult, 1 nest at Silver Sands State Park on 5/21

1 pair, 2 adults, 2 nests, 4 hatchlings at Milford Point on 5/21

5 pairs, 1 adult, 2 nests, 4 hatchlings at Bluff Point on 5/21

American Oystercatcher

2 pairs, 2 adults, 1 nest at Sandy/Morse Points on 5/15

1 pair, 2 adults, 1 nest at Sandy/Morse Points on 5/15

2 adults, 2 nests at Sandy/Morse Points on 5/15

1 pair, 1 nest at Long Beach on 5/16

3 pairs, 1 adult, 3 nests at Milford Point on 5/16

2 adults at Bluff Point on 5/16

4 pairs, 3 nests at Milford Point on 5/16
1 adult at Long Beach on 5/16

2 pairs at Bluff Point on 5/17

1 pair, 1 nest at Bluff Point on 5/17

1 adult, 1 nest at Long Beach on 5/18

1 pair, 3 adults, 1 hatchling at Sandy/Morse Points on 5/18

3 pairs at Milford Point on 5/18

1 pair at Griswold Point on 5/19

1 pair, 3 adults, 3 hatchlings at Sandy/Morse Points on 5/19

1 pair, 1 adult, 1 nest at Long Beach on 5/20

3 pairs at Milford Point on 5/21

1 pair, 1 adult, 1 nest at Bluff Point on 5/21

Least Tern

3 adults at Milford Point on 5/16

9 adults at Milford Point on 5/16

2 adults at Bluff Point on 5/17

15 adults at Sandy/Morse Points on 5/19

5 adults at Griswold Point on 5/19

2 pairs, 7 adults at Bluff Point on 5/21

8 adults at Milford Point on 5/21

Common Tern

3 adults at Milford Point on 5/16

2 adults at Milford Point on 5/16

1 adult at Bluff Point on 5/17

7 adults at Sandy/Morse Points on 5/19

2 adults at Milford Point on 5/21

This concludes update #3 through 5/22/18 as of 11:00 a.m.