AAfCW 2024 Field Update #1

This is the first field update for the AAfCW in 2024 with data provided from volunteer monitors spanning the official beginning of field season on April 1 through April 17. A huge thanks to monitors who went out in March on their own time to submit observations as well. We are now all finished preparing for our season, and if you have not joined us yet in 2024, we will see you in the field in 2025.

Please remember to submit a separate report for each species when entering data. Please do not lump them all into one submission. We want to report on Piping Plovers, American Oystercatchers, Least Terns, and Common Terns. You do not need to enter a new report if you saw none of a species. You can mention this in the comments of others, or enter one report for a trip where you saw no focal species at all.

With that in mind, Connecticut’s Least and Common Terns should return around May 1, and the first sightings of them will likely be one, two, or a few birds at a time. Some April surveys were canceled due to rain or cold weather, and please stay home if the temperature at the beach is under 50, over 90, if it is extremely windy, or if it will be raining, for your safety and that of the birds. Please send ctwaterbirds@gmail.com an email if you are going to cancel a scheduled monitoring session for any reason.

These updates will occur more frequently now that we are nearly complete in getting all monitors into the field and all scheduling is completed. We have over 140 volunteer monitors at more than a dozen sites in Connecticut. That sounds like a lot, but when our sites and birds need monitoring from dawn to dusk, seven days a week, avoiding bad weather, targeting specific tides, it means we need all the help we can get. It is okay to overlap with other volunteers if you see them in the field, and it can help with public perception, data, and education.

Thank you to all for your efforts thus far! Many nests will begin to appear soon, and we hope we can get through the early spring weather and tides with most intact. New nests should be reported to Laura.Saucier@ct.gov, rsuzf@hotmail.com, and ctwaterbirds@gmail.com. Please remember to report issues to ctwaterbirds@gmail.com and CT DEEP directly via email if it involves downed fencing or signage, lost nests, moderate disruptions and disturbances, or contact local animal control, police, or EnCon police for “take” situations and emergencies, subsequently letting us know about the event.

Species	Date	Location	Pairs	Adults	Nests
AMOY	April 6	Sherwood Island	2	0	0
AMOY	April 8	Long Beach	2	0	0
AMOY	April 9	Milford Point	1	1	0
AMOY	April 9	Milford Point	0	3	0
AMOY	April 9	Sandy/Morse Points	1	0	0
AMOY	April 10	Long Beach	1	0	0
AMOY	April 10	Milford Point	1	5	0
AMOY	April 10	Milford Point	1	4	0
AMOY	April 11	Bluff Point	1	0	0
AMOY	April 11	Milford Point	3	2	1
AMOY	April 13	Sandy/Morse Points	0	1	0
AMOY	April 13	Harkness Memorial State Park	1	0	0
AMOY	April 14	Milford Point	6	0	0
AMOY	April 14	Milford Point	0	1	0
AMOY	April 15	Sandy/Morse Points	1	0	0
AMOY	April 15	Milford Point	1	1	1
AMOY	April 15	Long Beach	5	0	0
AMOY	April 16	Sandy/Morse Points	2	4	0
AMOY	April 16	Long Beach	1	0	1
AMOY	April 16	Long Beach	1	0	1
AMOY	April 16	Milford Point	2	3	1
AMOY	April 16	Sandy/Morse Points	2	0	0
AMOY	April 16	Milford Point	0	6	0
AMOY	April 17	Sandy/Morse Points	2	0	0
AMOY	April 17	Pleasure Beach	2	0	0
AMOY	April 17	Milford Point	2	14	2
AMOY	April 17	Long Beach	2	0	0
PIPL	April 1	Milford Point	5	4	0
PIPL	April 8	Milford Point	1	3	0
PIPL	April 8	Long Beach	3	7	0
PIPL	April 9	Milford Point	2	1	0
PIPL	April 9	Milford Point	0	8	0
PIPL	April 9	Long Beach	0	3	0
PIPL	April 9	Long Beach	0	9	0
PIPL	April 9	Sandy/Morse Points	0	3	0
PIPL	April 10	Long Beach	6	7	0
PIPL	April 10	Milford Point	0	3	0
PIPL	April 10	Milford Point	2	1	0
PIPL	April 11	Bluff Point	4	0	0
PIPL	April 11	Milford Point	2	5	0
PIPL	April 12	Milford Point	0	15	0
PIPL	April 13	Sandy/Morse Points	0	5	0
PIPL	April 14	Milford Point	5	0	0
PIPL	April 14	Milford Point	2	0	0
PIPL	April 15	Sandy/Morse Points	0	8	0
PIPL	April 15	Milford Point	3	2	0
PIPL	April 15	Long Beach	7	2	0
PIPL	April 16	Milford Point	1	3	0
PIPL	April 16	Sandy/Morse Points	4	6	0
PIPL	April 16	Sandy/Morse Points	0	3	0
PIPL	April 16	Long Beach	0	6	0
PIPL	April 16	Long Beach	0	1	0
PIPL	April 16	Milford Point	0	16	0
PIPL	April 16	Milford Point	0	8	0
PIPL	April 17	Sandy/Morse Points	3	5	0
PIPL	April 17	Milford Point	2	5	0
PIPL	April 17	Pleasure Beach	0	1	0
PIPL	April 17	Long Beach	5	5	0