American Oystercatchers and Piping Plovers are returning to Connecticut. This warm week has yielded a few individuals of both species on our coastline, and while the numbers are low now, they will increase throughout the month of March as they begin to find territories, mates, and start the nesting cycle. I photographed this American Oystercatcher today in Milford. Early March is a good time for photography as we do not have to worry about causing a disturbance and negatively impacting pairs, their nests, or young.
Always try to keep in mind that ideally we do not want the birds to even acknowledge our presence. If we go unnoticed then we are probably doing a great job of keeping them safe, too. This oystercatcher is very likely a female based on the rather large eye fleck. Also keep in mind that individuals we see now may be on their way to nest to our north, only using Connecticut as a temporary stop to rest and feed. There will be many more Piping Plovers and American Oystercatchers here to stay across the state by the time AAfCW official monitoring commences on April 1.
Scott Kruitbosch
AAfCW Volunteer Coordinator
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