Help conduct fall International Shorebird Surveys

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

Thanks to July volunteers

The Audubon Alliance for Coastal Waterbirds had a very busy week on the beaches, and at a number of fireworks displays across the state. Our Piping Plovers, American Oystercatchers, Least Terns, and Common Terns made it through everything exceptionally well, and there were only minor disturbances at best. We would like to express our deepest gratitude to everyone who came out to one of our sites for a night of fireworks, visited one of the eastern beaches to assist this weekend, or surveyed critical locations in the last week. Your extra eyes made our work that much easier and helped protect a number of birds, especially young and many still nesting, while also providing a great deal of education for what we have heard from you was a very receptive public.

From this point in the season through the end of August the beaches will see a lot of traffic. We hope to see all of you out there and that those of you new to volunteering and monitoring will sign up with the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service for next season. It can be a very rewarding experience to know that you helped the lives of the birds we all care for so very much while also bringing others into the world of conservation. For more information on anything pertaining to our program or instructions on how to sign up as an official USFWS volunteer please email either myself at skruitbosch@ctaudubon.org or the Audubon Alliance for Coastal Waterbirds at ctwaterbirds@gmail.com.


Scott Kruitbosch
Coordinator of the Audubon Alliance for Coastal Waterbirds
Conservation Technician

Banding Purple Martins

Connecticut Audubon Society joined the talented Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection banding crew from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on July 5 and banded all of Gazebo Phil’s Purple Martin chicks. CAS staff assisted DEEP staff and volunteers in lowering the gourd trees, removing the young ones from each gourd, transporting them to be banded, aged, weighed, and more. DEEP places a silver federal band with a unique number on each bird as well as specific color bands to identify individual birds from a distance – our birds are sporting red bands, as they did last year. The total number of chicks banded was 174, down a little from the 185 that were banded in 2011. 

However, this may be only because of the fact this year’s gourds had much older chicks on average at around the same date, and it is likely a handful had already fledged. While we were placing them back into the gourds, a few of the young took flight for the first time, sneaking out of their gourd and soaring through the sky. A couple others hopped on the ground, not quite ready, and were placed right back in their home. Additionally, two of the gourds had four egg nests, probably from young birds that arrive later than their older counterparts and have less experience in breeding. Unfortunately, we did find a couple hatchlings that had died in the nest as well. One of those chicks still had six more brothers and sisters in the gourd – a very large family! Having to feed so many young often ends up in the death of one or two chicks. Of course none of the chicks or adults died in this process, and all were quite safe, only a little agitated for a short period of time.

There were also plenty of dragonfly parts here there and everywhere. I identified Common Green Darner, Spot-winged Glider, Twelve-spotted Skimmer, and Black Saddlebags making up most of the Purple Martin prey flying around us with the birds. I also found a Red Admiral butterfly that was probably a lost meal. Let us hope we will have more band returns in the upcoming "fall" migration. During banding we learned from DEEP that one of last year’s chicks has a nest at Greenwich Point Park! This is the sort of information we hope to learn more frequently as time goes on with thousands of color-banded Purple Martins from across Connecticut. An upcoming post will show you another banded martin we found a little closer to "home"...


Scott Kruitbosch
Conservation Technician

Photos © Scott Kruitbosch and not to be reproduced without explicit permission

Milford Point canoe trips

I post this canoe trip information from Coastal Center Director Frank Gallo because it is always a great opportunity to get out and see some beautiful and scarcely viewed birds up close! Milford Point is one of the best fall migration birding spots in the state and one of the most important conservation areas. Believe it or not, "fall" migration has begun as birds start to head south post-breeding. These trips are great for people of all ages and experience levels.

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Family Canoe Programs

Through the Charles E. Wheeler Salt Marsh
The 840-acre Wheeler Marsh at Milford Point is home to many rare and unusual nesting bird species including Yellow-crowned Night-Heron, Glossy Ibis, Clapper Rail, Willet, American Oystercatcher, Least Tern, Gadwall, Marsh Wren, Seaside and Saltmarsh Sparrows. As the summer progresses, a variety of migrating shorebirds, terns, and herons can also be seen.

Join us on a guided canoe tour of the Charles Wheeler Salt Marsh. Steeped in local history, the Marsh offers an abundance of birds and other wildlife, beautiful vistas and a chance to paddle and relax. Bring water, a snack, and wear shoes that can get wet. Contact the Coastal Center for more information. Trip routes are subject to change due to weather. Wind may cause trips to be canceled, even on sunny days; please call 1-1.5 hours in advance for trip status. Advance registration required. Sign-up early for these popular tours! Inquire about tour dates in October. (* Bring a lunch on these days.)

Dates:
Saturday, July 7 at 1:15 p.m.–3:45 p.m.
Sunday, July 8 at 2:00 p.m.–4:30 p.m.
Saturday, July 21 at 12:00 p.m.–2:30 p.m.
Sunday, July 22 at 12:45 p.m.–3:15 p.m.
Saturday, August 4 at 12:00 p.m.–2:30 p.m.
Sunday, August 5 at 12:45 p.m.–3:15 p.m.
Saturday, August 18 at 10:45 a.m.–1:15 p.m.*
Sunday, August 19 at 11:30 a.m.–2:00 p.m.*
Saturday, September 15 at 9:30 a.m.–12:00 p.m.
Sunday, September 16 at 10:30 a.m.–1:00 p.m.*
Saturday, September 22 at 3:30 p.m.–6 p.m. (Evening Paddle)
Saturday, September 29 at 9:45 a.m.–12:15 p.m. (Early Autumn Paddle)
Sunday, September 30 at 10:15 a.m.–12:45 p.m. (Early Autumn Paddle)*
Sunday, October 28 at 9:15 a.m.–11:45 a.m. (Late Autumn Paddle)

Using Our Coastal Center Canoes
CAS Members $29/person, $69/canoe (3 people)
Non-members $39/person, $99/canoe (3people)

Using your Private Canoe/Kayak
$20 CAS Members, $30 Non-member

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Scott Kruitbosch
Conservation Technician

Purple Martins growing by the minute

The Purple Martins at Gazebo Phil's are growing larger by the minute. They fill up much of the gourd and the camera space at this point. They are going to get to enjoy having our company tomorrow as Connecticut Audubon Society will join the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection and Gazebo Phil at his gourd trees to band all of the Purple Martin chicks. They will place a silver federal band with a unique number on each bird as well as color bands to identify individual birds from a distance. These bands are so exceptionally light that the birds will not even feel them on their legs. No part of this process will hurt the chicks. Banding will give us valuable information about the young birds and hopefully allow them to be spotted and identified, due to their unique color combinations, during migration or back here next spring.

Banding was completed last year to perfection, with no birds harmed or even disturbed in any significant way. CT DEEP staff will set up something similar to an assembly line. There will be someone retrieving the birds from the gourds, someone aging chicks, another person weighing the birds, a couple of banders placing the different band types on, someone bringing the birds back home, and more. We will be able to update you all with how many adults and chicks are present at the conclusion of banding. Do not worry about the adults, either. They may be a little upset that we are hanging out at their homes for a while, but they will instantly go back to feeding the chicks once we finish, and the work will be done in a flash. This is a regular process completely annually across the state. We cannot wait to see how many chicks we band - given that last year's total was 185, how many do you think we will end up with?


Scott Kruitbosch
Conservation Technician

Volunteers needed Bluff Point & Harkness Memorial State Park 7/7

Here is another crossover post I wrote moments ago to our Audubon Alliance for Coastal Waterbirds volunteers with an important request concerning the project and activities on eastern Connecticut beaches this weekend.

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We are looking for some more volunteers to assist the Audubon Alliance for Coastal Waterbirds and the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection in monitoring at Bluff Point and Harkness Memorial State Park on Saturday, July 7. Opsail, a tall ship event, is happening on Saturday morning beginning at 9AM and Harkness has asked for help during this time. Tens of thousands of people are expected to attend, and while they will certainly not all be viewing the ships from Harkness, they are expecting the park to reach capacity. Volunteers can aid AAfCW staff to cover the eastern and western boundaries of the Piping Plover nesting area to prevent visitors from using that beach. DEEP is working to allow any persons helping to enter the park free of charge (USFWS ID will likely be necessary). Park staff will be able to handle the afternoon on their own at Harkness.

However, during the afternoon and evening on July 7 we need assistance at nearby Bluff Point as there is a large fireworks display in the Groton/New London area on Saturday evening. The number of people expected to be viewing from Bluff Point is relatively small, but it is imperative to have enough staff and volunteers to keep people out of the fenced areas, prevent them from setting off their own fireworks, and prevent chicks from being stepped on. People will be needed (in addition to DEEP and AAfCW staff) in the afternoon to keep visitors from setting up in the wrong places and for all of the above in the evening throughout the display. Any extra monitoring that can be completed at Bluff Point during the week, with young Piping Plover and Least Tern chicks all over and additional nests, would be greatly appreciated as well. DEEP is very concerned about the large number of young birds in the area and the high traffic the beach will see the entire week. Any hour here or there to help them out would be fantastic, and our staff will be there as much as possible as well.

Please email us at ctwaterbirds@gmail.com to tell us you will be at either location Saturday or if you have any questions. You do not have to email us prior to extra time you spend at Bluff Point during the week to watch the chicks and nests. Thank you so much for the consideration and constant efforts!

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Even if you are not a registered USFWS volunteer you can help out by emailing ctwaterbirds@gmail.com or spend some time watching out for the birds on the beach this week on your own. We need all the assistance we can get to ensure the safety of the birds in what has been a very successful year thus far, especially for Piping Plovers.


Scott Kruitbosch
Conservation Technician

Summer campers visit Trout Brook Valley

Coastal Center Director Frank Gallo took some of his summer camp group to the Trout Brook Valley preserve, part of the Aspetuck Land Trust, last week to find some of the many varieties of life it holds. Our ongoing survey and management planning for the over 1,000-acre property has yielded a high number of conservation priority species. It has also be shown to hold a large number of other scarce or uncommon migrant and breeding birds that are difficult to find in other areas of the heavily developed Fairfield County.

I joined Frank and the kids along with one of our waterbird technicians, Sean Graesser, to examine some odes, leps, birds, amphibians, and reptiles. It was a cool and somewhat cloudy day, making it a little quiet for birds, but perfect for spotting some species that need to be in the sun in such weather as some new odonates were found in open clearings trying to heat up. The kids also examined some of the other insects present such as this American Dung Beetle.

Their best find was another species enjoying the cool weather - another Eastern Box Turtle!

This turtle was found far from the location of the first that Twan discovered last month and is definitely another individual. It seems this female was looking for a place to lay eggs. The kids had a great time and we had a lot more data to add to our conservation plans. It always surprises me how often summer camp groups and children on walks can uncover some of the most intriguing and important things...


Scott Kruitbosch
Conservation Technician

Photos © Frank Gallo and not to be reproduced without explicit permission