This year's fireworks displays are coming up soon across Connecticut and with them comes an increased need to help the Audubon Alliance for Coastal Waterbirds to protect coastal waterbirds at busy beach sites in the middle of nesting season. We will be looking for help at
Milford Point on the evening of July 3 during the Stratford display. We
will also be looking for help at Sandy/Morse Points in West Haven on July 3 and July 4
for the West Haven and New Haven displays, respectively. Please email
us at ctwaterbirds@gmail.com if you would like to join AAfCW and CT DEEP
staff in monitoring and outreach at these locations from around 9PM on
those nights until the shows have concluded.
There will also be a few dates we will be looking for additional volunteers later in July in eastern parts of Connecticut. I should note that a week ago Sean Graesser and I completed a detailed and methodical official survey of the sand spit at Milford Point in order to tally all of the Least Terns present and how many nests were going. There were at least 700 birds with about 325 pairs/nests and a couple dozen more courting. Since then the first eggs have hatched and there are likely more nests. If you visit Milford Point please remain on Connecticut Audubon Society Coastal Center property and try not to go past the platform if you can. We really want to voluntarily have everyone give all these hundreds of birds (plus multiple families of Piping Plovers with over 20 chicks of various ages) as much space as possible so that they are successful. This could be a big success if we can limit traffic and disturbances and continue educating the public on why these birds are both imperiled and important. If you want to become a coastal waterbirds monitor for AAfCW please email ctwaterbirds@gmail.com.
Scott Kruitbosch
Conservation Technician
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