Data Submission

If you have started your monitoring or will soon, please remember to submit your data and information as soon as you can after your trip to the beach. This is done via the electronic submission form in the upper-right hand column of our blog (http://ctwaterbirds.blogspot.com) titled, "Online Data Submission Form". The simple Google form can also be found directly at this address: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/13i9JBfV0MYQdHhGq3n3C348S78M--5c3JpWKUIbbYlI/

This form has numerous advantages in that it prompts you for the required details of your survey. You will not have to worry about forgetting something or omitting data. All of your information for each species can be easily viewed by staff at a moment's notice. We can also go in and change it if an error is made, so no worries there.

Please use that form to submit all data. This includes negative data - if you did not see any birds, please select any species from the dropdown menu, report zero, and enter all your other information (date, time, location, etc.). 

You can always feel free to email a question such as help for a shorebird identification or to add something to your submission. You should also always email us and CT DEEP as soon as possible when it comes to any significant disturbances, new nests or lost nests, hatched young, photos or signs of a predator, and anything CT DEEP and AAfCW need to know right away, besides including this information in your submitted form.

Don't forget our 2022 AAfCW new volunteer monitor online training sessions is here on YouTube as a refresher at any time: https://youtu.be/E0putp6rFn4

Thanks and best,

Scott Kruitbosch
AAfCW Volunteer Coordinator

Time Change Tomorrow! AAfCW New Monitor Beach Training 1:00-3:00pm

Good afternoon!

With the forecast of rain hopefully ending tomorrow morning, CT DEEP and AAfCW have decided to shift the time on new monitor beach training tomorrow. It will now take place at Sandy/Morse Points in West Haven from 1:00-3:00pm tomorrow, April 9. This time is intended to be rain or shine, even if we still have some lingering showers, and it will not require a parking pass. We will meet in the parking lot. 

The beach is located at the end of 1st Ave./Beach St. in West Haven. It is very easy to see from the road. If you need to drop off your waiver form or pick up a badge/lanyard, this is a great time to do so as well. If you are only stopping by, please plan to do so either at the beginning or end of the training session near 1:00pm or 3:00pm. Thank you!

Best,
Scott Kruitbosch
AAfCW Volunteer Coordinator

Fencing Update - Griswold Point Postponed

Tomorrow's rain will postpone Griswold Point's scheduled fencing to the rain date of April 13. Please continue to email us if you intend to help out with any of the below fencing parties - and we thank you!

• Griswold Point - Wednesday, April 13th, 1:00-4:00pm - please email mrice@tnc.org and ctwaterbirds@gmail.com to RSVP and detailed instructions on parking
• Sandy/Morse Points, West Haven - Monday, April 11th, 10:00am (rain date Tuesday, April 12th, 10:00am)
• Long Beach, Stratford, beaches #0-3 - Thursday, April 14th, 10:00am (rain date April 15th, 10:00am)
• Long Beach, Stratford, beaches #4-5 and Pleasure Beach, Bridgeport - Tuesday, April 19th, 10:00am (be mindful of long walk)
• Bluff Point State Park, Groton - Thursday, April 21st, 10:00am (rain date April 22nd, 10:00am)

Fencing will be placed at other locations by staff only. Remember that any and all volunteers are welcome including those who are not monitors. Volunteers should bring: work gloves, water, a snack, appropriate footwear, sunscreen, sunglasses, hats and whatever else you may need avoid too much sun. These locations can either be quite cool or very warm depending on the day so dress for any weather. A pocket knife or multi-tool can be handy and a sledge hammer or mallet can be helpful to bring. Plan for heavy lifting and toting, but be mindful of your safety. Less intensive work needed includes stringing posts and putting up signs. Please email us at ctwaterbirds@gmail.com if you can make it to for any of these dates, and thank you!

April Updates

Good morning! Here are some points to remember as we enter monitoring season...

1) New monitor training at Sandy/Morse Points at 10:00am-12:00pm on 4/9 will not require a parking pass. CT DEEP will take care of parking with the City of West Haven for that morning for all. We will meet in the parking lot. The beach is located at the end of 1st Ave./Beach St. in West Haven. If you visit West Haven alone to monitor, you will need the free City-provided parking pass which will be mailed out in April unless you are a West Haven resident with a sticker or you pay to park on your own. To monitor in West Haven as a non-resident, please submit your mailing address, license plate, and vehicle information to ctwaterbirds@gmail.com.

2) If you have not already, you can pick up badges, lanyards, and brochures at one of these locations (or at new monitoring training on 4/9):

• Stratford Point – 1207 Prospect Drive, Stratford - Tues-Fri, 9a-5p
• Milford Point – 1 Milford Point Road, Milford - Tues-Fri, 9a-4p, Sat 10a-3:30p, Sun 12p-4p
• Roger Tory Peterson Estuary Center - 100 Lyme St., Old Lyme - Tues-Sat, 8-4pm, but flexible

Please note the change that Stratford Point will not be open on Mondays in April.

3) All who are monitoring need to have signed up officially, attended or reviewed training in full, have submitted a CT DEEP waiver form, and received a badge/lanyard to use when in the field. This includes anyone who may be accompanying you at the beach. Planned trips with others for the purposes of monitoring should have all individuals signed up through the aforementioned process.

4) Please submit your desired beaches and schedules as soon as you can to ctwaterbirds@gmail.com. It is still rather cold some days, and our birds are still finding their way back to Connecticut. Some of the major beaches now have numbers of Piping Plovers and American Oystercatchers as they begin to pair off, establish territory, and start the breeding season. Least and Common Terns typically return to Connecticut right about May 1, so do not expect to see them for weeks still. Fencing will be erected soon, and your monitoring trips can begin once you have completed all parts of the process and are set at your beach.

5) Please remember to use our blog when you have questions, want to enter your monitoring data, need to see references on shorebird identification, report a banded individual, and so forth. The volunteer monitoring packet for 2022 is here as well. The right-hand column has links to the Online Data Submission Form, monitor training on YouTube to review, and more.

6) When you do begin monitoring, you may have some trips to the beach without seeing any of our focal species. Please enter this negative data into the Online Data Submission Form as you would a trip with sightings of our birds. It is vital to know you still visited the beach and observed no focal species.

More to come soon - we are making steady progress, and thank you everyone for your help!

Best,
Scott Kruitbosch
AAfCW Volunteer Coordinator

2022 String Fencing Dates

The 2022 Audubon Alliance for Coastal Waterbirds spring string fencing dates are below, and we would greatly appreciate anyone who can come out to help us!

• Griswold Point - Thursday, April 7th, 8:30am (rain date Wednesday, April 13th, 8:30am) - please email mrice@tnc.org and ctwaterbirds@gmail.com to RSVP and detailed instructions on parking
• Sandy/Morse Points, West Haven - Monday, April 11th, 10:00am (rain date Tuesday, April 12th, 10:00am)
• Long Beach, Stratford, beaches #0-3 - Thursday, April 14th, 10:00am (rain date April 15th, 10:00am)
• Long Beach, Stratford, beaches #4-5 and Pleasure Beach, Bridgeport - Tuesday, April 19th, 10:00am (be mindful of long walk)
• Bluff Point State Park, Groton - Thursday, April 21st, 10:00am (rain date April 22nd, 10:00am)

Fencing will be placed at other locations by staff only. Remember that any and all volunteers are welcome including those who are not monitors. Volunteers should bring: work gloves, water, a snack, appropriate footwear, sunscreen, sunglasses, hats and whatever else you may need avoid too much sun. These locations can either be quite cool or very warm depending on the day so dress for any weather. A pocket knife or multi-tool can be handy and a sledge hammer or mallet can be helpful to bring. Plan for heavy lifting and toting, but be mindful of your safety. Less intensive work needed includes stringing posts and putting up signs. Please email us at ctwaterbirds@gmail.com if you can make it to for any of these dates, and thank you!