Have you been enjoying the beginning of southbound shorebird migration here in Connecticut? Do you regularly go out shorebirding in the next few months at Connecticut hotspots or a favorite patch? Would you be willing to do just a little more this season for conservation? We at the Audubon Alliance for Coastal Waterbirds (AAfCW) need your help to complete International Shorebird Surveys (ISS), initiated by the Manomet Center for Conservation Sciences, from July 15 through the end of October.
We would love to have as many volunteers as possible participate in these surveys in addition to our staff. All of the details, including the full directions, data sheets, and site forms for describing your new location are listed here on the AAfCW blog in the right-hand column under the "Important Documents" heading: http://ctwaterbirds.blogspot.com/
We realize the directions and information may look a little intimidating, but apart from filling out a form about your chosen site, all these surveys amount to is regularly visiting a great shorebird spot approximately three times per month and tallying all of the birds you see. There are even different scheduling options in the documents if you cannot make it out to survey that often. You will then enter your data in the ISS eBird portal, share the checklist with us at ctwaterbirds@gmail.com, and you are set. Please read the information and consider contributing some of your time for these valuable surveys. At the very least it will compel you to get out and enjoy shorebirding even more in the next few months. Our staff will be conducting them as well, so please email us if you are interested and so we can set aside your chosen location.
These surveys are one of the most significant sources of monitoring information for shorebirds in North America. The data collected is used to document major shorebird migration staging areas, monitor shorebird population changes, and evaluate the effects of catastrophic events, such as storms and oil spills, on shorebirds.
Thank you for the consideration! Feel free to shoot us an email at ctwaterbirds@gmail.com with any other questions or comments you may have as well, or email me directly at skruitbosch@ctaudubon.org. I know how many amazingly awesome shorebirders we have out there in our state, and I also know that even if a handful of you sign up to help that it will be a tremendous boost for both the ISS program and our own work in the AAfCW.
Scott Kruitbosch
Coordinator of the Audubon Alliance for Coastal Waterbirds
Conservation Technician
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