Earth Day Clean-up/Spring Celebration at Milford Point

The fourth annual Earth Day clean-up and Spring Celebration took place from 10-3 yesterday at the CAS Coastal Center at Milford Point. The Connecticut Audubon Society provided gloves and bags, but many generous people provided invaluable time and effort for a great cause. Nearly 60 people participated in the event, with volunteers coming from all over Connecticut. These caring people included a group of 15 children and five adults from Kennedy School in Waterbury, who did a terrific job cleaning Smith's Point, and 12 people from Trumbull Church Youth Group.

Youngsters helping out!

CAS teacher/naturalist Amy Zvonar and teacher Jesus Tirado.

Children are always a big focus of this effort. Many families were involved this year once again. Apart from removing piles of garbage, many of the adults were put to work removing invasive plants such as honeysuckle, black locust, burning bush, autumn olive, and tree of heaven. This is extremely important to the Milford Point ecosystem, and everyone did a great job.

Invasive plant removal.

CAS Coastal Center Director Frank Gallo.

We have to thank our exceptionally generous sponsors, Shoprite, an annual sponsor of this event, and Whole Foods, a first-time sponsor, for providing food, beverages, and clean-up supplies. None of this could be accomplished without their help. Eight people from the Whole Foods Green Team participated as well, removing quite a lot of invasive plants from along the dunes and road.

Whole Foods Green Team removing invasive plants.

The good news is that perseverance pays off - the team removed only one small truckload of trash compared to 2.5 tons four years ago.



Thank you once again to everyone who made this year's event such a big success!

Photos © Frank Gallo.

Stratford Point 4/11-4/17

It was a relatively quiet week at Stratford Point. This was mostly due to uncooperative migration weather for passerines, as the night skies were filled with northerly winds or rain instead of millions of birds. However, we were still able to record over 40 species. There was constant movement in the water as the ducks continued to depart. Long-tailed Ducks are becoming scarce, and Red-breasted Mergansers are now uncommon. Various species of shorebirds can be seen here from now through the fall. This group of 4 Black-bellied Plover and 24 Dunlin was spotted hunkered down on the beach on Friday afternoon in anticipation of the incoming storm front.






One fantastic bird we recorded was a Eurasian Wigeon. It was seen first at Milford Point, but spotted at Stratford Point briefly on April 16. It is likely still in the area. Stop by either location to take a look! You may get exceptionally good views if you're lucky enough to snag the bird at Stratford Point. Many species stay very close to shore, and in the case of Eurasian Wigeon, they are often within range of the naked eye. Binoculars and spotting scopes can provide incredible views when they are. This week's Eurasian Wigeon was with some Brant close to shore when seen at Stratford Point. Good luck!


Photos © Scott Kruitbosch.

Hottest April Ever?

You may have read this blog entry about the wettest March ever. That was literally the case in nearly all of Connecticut this year. The early plant growth we predicted occurred. Now the state is currently working on the hottest April ever. The old phrase, "April showers bring May flowers" was off by one month. The March showers (or torrential rainfall!) brought us an abundance of April flowers. It seems clear the historical rainfall totals combined with warm, sunny weather (we are below average in rainfall thus far in April) is responsible for this. Nearly every type of plant is growing, flowering, or leafing out in southern Connecticut. We are about two weeks ahead of schedule in some places.

Have you seen a Palm Warbler yet?

So how about the birds? Judging from eBird, the CT birds discussion list, and word from friends of ours around the state, there have been pockets of migrants trickling in a week or two earlier than usual. There has not been a substantial movement of early birds. They are following their own clocks - namely the sun. They use day length as the primary gauge for migration. However, when this clock says it is time to move, there can be helpful factors. The warmth we have experienced has been a result of a southerly or southwest airflow. High pressure has dominated, keeping out storm systems and allowing this conveyor of warm air to get to us. The birds coming north for the breeding season can take full advantage of this southerly flow if the winds remain that way at night.

When migrants like this Yellow Warbler arrive in late April the foliage will not be so bare.

The first week of April was very cooperative, while the second week has seen variable winds. A rainy, cool, weekend should stop movement for the next few days, but next week will allow the floodgates to open to possibly the first sizable wave of passerine migrants. One also has to remember that our weather is not the only concern. If there is blocking weather to our south, say in the Mid-Atlantic, the birds still cannot get to us. However, it has been similarly pleasant in general over much of the east coast. It would not be surprising to see several new species enter the state next week with the typical early May migrants arriving in the last week of April.

When migration starts to get moderate to heavy, we will definitely be posting radar images from various websites so we can all track their progress together.

Photos © Scott Kruitbosch.

US Army Corps of Engineers awards CAS contract to carry out Wildlife and Habitat Management Studies

During the winter of 2008 and much of 2009 Connecticut Audubon Society Science & Conservation staff carried out monthly monitoring studies on five US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) flood control project sites in the Naugatuck River valley. USACE operates a series of dams on the Naugatuck River and its major tributaries to hold back flood water in the event of storm-related flooding or heavy snow melt. These dams were put in place after disastrous floods killed dozens of people and destroyed substantial sections of several towns and cities in the Naugatuck River valley in 1955.

US Army Corps of Engineers' Thomaston Dam during flood stage in spring of 2009 (Photo: Twan Leenders)

Associated with each dam is a project site that can accomodate a large volume of water, but which is generally more likely to be flooded only seasonally. The six flood control projects in western Connecticut together comprise approximately 4,700 acres of multi-use land and additional land is leased by the USACE. The extensive floodplains and additional habitat types included in these flood control project sites provide important habitat for a wide variety of species.

As part of a 5-year review of the performance of each site CAS provided detailed information on the importance of the USACE-owned land for local wildife, in particular for species included in the CT Endangered Species Act and for other species of greatest conservation need. In addition, CAS provided assessments of the presence and status of invasive non-native plant species on each property and proposed future habitat management recommendations to increase the wildlife habitat value of each site, within the scope of its primary flood-control purpose.

CAS staff recently completed work on five flood control sites in Thomaston, Plymouth, Harwinton, and Middlebury and today was awarded a contract to commence work on a sixth site, the enormous Colebrook River Lake project site which straddles the CT and MA border in the northwest corner. Surveys of local amphibian, reptile, bird and mammal populations will commence this month -- just in time for spring migration and the breeding season. We'll keep you posted on interesting finds!

Wetland habitat on the Colebrook River Lake project site. (Photo: Twan leenders)

Get ready!

Clean out your nestboxes if you haven't yet. The bulk of our breeding songbirds has not quite started yet (many aren't even back from their wintering grounds). However, some early breeders, such as Eastern Bluebirds, can be on eggs already.

Most migrant species don't waste much time and will immediately start scoping out suitable nest locations and staking out territiories once they get here, so be prepared!

Photo copyright Twan Leenders

Canterbury, Pomfret and Woodstock vernal pool surveys - volunteer opportunity

Paula Coughlin at the Connecticut Audubon Society Grassland Center at Pomfret coordinates local citizen science projects and is gearing up to continue vernal pool surveys during the spring 2010 vernal pool season. Once again, Paula will be documenting vernal pools in Canterbury and Pomfret. Grace Jacobson of the Woodstock Conservation Commission will serve as the volunteer coordinator for Woodstock. Field work will be on Friday and Saturday mornings, 9-noon. Field site locations and relevant information will be emailed to volunteers early in the week so that you can check your calendar and see if you plan to attend. Anyone is welcome to help out whenever it works for you, in any of the three towns. Please contact Paula to sign up: (860) 928-4948 (work) or (860) 974-0383 (home), or via email: pcoughlin@ctaudubon.org.

Upcoming surveys are planned for Friday, April 16, 9-noon, location to be announced, and Saturday, April 17, Hanover Road (on Scotland line) meet at Canterbury Public Library at 8:45.


Paula Coughlin
Citizen Science Coordinator
Connecticut Audubon Society Grassland Center at Pomfret

Photo: Wood Frog tadpoles in vernal pool © Twan Leenders

Spring has arrived at the CAS Croft Preserve in Goshen.

One of the largest and least developed sanctuaries owned and managed by Connecticut Audubon Society is the 700 acre Richard G. Croft Memorial Preserve in Goshen, in the rugged northwest hills. The preserve contains a fantastic mix of mature forest, large wetlands, bogs and beaver ponds and is home to an impressive array of wildlife. Limited survey work has revealed the presence of nesting Northern Goshawk, Winter Wren, and Hooded Merganser. Ruffed Grouse are present in seemingly decent numbers still and rarities such as Cerulean and Connecticut Warblers have been seen here as well. Because of the large territory available, Black Bear are common in the preserve and there appears to be a small population of Moose present also.
On April 12, I spent the day at the sanctuary to survey the preserve's important landscape elements to produce GIS maps for the sanctuary, carry out point counts as part of our continued monitoring efforts, and also to evaluate habitat management work we carried out in the winter. Part of the site survey was done in conjunction with representatives from the Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) of the USDA. CAS works closely with the NRCS as part of the Federal Wildlife Habitat Incentive Program (WHIP), which provides funding for wildlife habitat improvement projects. One of the ongoing projects at the Croft Preserve is the creation and maintenance of several early successional habitat areas -- clearings with dense scrub vegetation that require periodic maintenance to keep them from reverting to forest.
In December of 2009 we worked with a group of high school students from the Forman School in Litchfield to remove small trees and tree saplings from one of our habitat management areas, covering almost 7 acres (see pictures below). All work in the area was done without the use of tractors or ATVs and all trees were cut by hand to avoid compacting the soil in the area and to minimize the risk of spreading invasive plant species by equipment that moves between sites.

Trees were dropped on the spot and large brush piles were created to provide additional wildlife habitat. The habitat work seems to be paying off already because my surveys yesterday revealed no fewer than 4 different Winter Wrens singing on territory in the newly opened area (and several more were heard elsewhere in the preserve). The moose seem to have survived the winter just fine and fresh tracks were seen all over the preserve.

We currently have motion-activated cameras installed to see if we can catch a glimpse of these animals. Pictures will be posted here as soon as we do!

One of the site's wetlands, a 17 acre wooded pond, already had several female Hooded Merganser present and hopefully they will breed here again. Last year I counted at least 23 young in addition to many young Wood Duck. This large wetland continuously changes shape due to the activity of beavers in the area.

Old beaver meadows can be found in various parts of the preserve, but recently a newly constructed beaver dam caused a 4+ acre section of the forest to flood. The changes in the habitat that this action causes will provide a great opportunity for study in years to come!

Most of the vernal wetlands on site now hold numerous egg masses of Wood Frogs and Spotted Salamanders, while the calls of Spring Peepers can be heard anywhere and Red-spotted Newts carry out their elaborate courtship displays in all permanent bodies of water. A nice surprise during the wetland surveys was the discovery of a substantial number of Jefferson's Salamander egg masses in several locations throughout the preserve -- this is a rare species included as a Special Concern species in the CT Endangered Species Act. Clearly the Croft Preserve provides suitable habitat for all kinds of rare species!

A quick survey of our most recently created early succesional habitat area (an almost 20-acre clearing opened up in the fall of 2008) showed that young growth is starting to come in nicely with no sign of invasive plants yet (keeping my fingers crossed). Troutlily (Erythronium americanum), Carolina Spring Beauty (Claytonia caroliniana) and the first Purple Trilliums (Trilium erectum) are alread adding a splash of color to the landscape.

Even though the big new clearing still resembles a bombing range with its trees dropped in place and only a few remaining canopy trees, soon this area too will be providing critical habitat for Ruffed Grouse and other scrub species. Our ongoing monitoring efforts are put in place to periodically assess the impact our habitat management efforts have on the local birds and other wildlife, so we can fine-tune our future management practices and hopefully provide even more and better habitat for our state's threatened and endangered species. We will keep you posted on how things develop!

For more information on the Croft Preserve or any of the other Connecticut Audubon Society sanctuaries, visit the sanctuary section of our website. We are hoping to update it soon with additional photographs, trail maps and species lists. Please keep in mind that the Croft Preserve does not have much of an infrastructure yet and the trail is very muddy and steep in places and can be challenging to navigate.

All photographs © Twan Leenders