NEWS:
At March 11 Press Conference in Hartford,

Connecticut Audubon Society Issues Its New
Connecticut State of the Birds 2010 Report,

Focusing on the Important Contributions of
Citizen Scientists to Conservation Efforts in Connecticut,
And Need to Re-vamp the State's Land Acquisition Strategies
To Maximize Bird, Wildlife & Natural Resource Conservation

Click Here to read our new 2010 Report
and

Click Here to read our Press Release

Starting in the early 1970s and to date, under the supervision of a federally
licensed master bander, volunteer citizen scientists have banded
and collected data on more than 20,000 birds that passed through
the 6-acre Birdcraft Sanctuary in Fairfield.

Photo by Dr. Twan Leenders, CAS Conservation Biologist.

Featured Programs

New Exhibit Opens Fri., March 5 at the Fairfield Museum:
"A Bird's Eye View of Citizen Science and Social Networks"

In partnership with Connecticut Audubon Society, the Fairfield Museum and History Center's new exhibit of photographs and artifacts explores the evolving work of Connecticut Audubon Society and several remarkable “citizen scientists” – people who have taken their personal passions and connections to effect positive change in the community. Mabel Osgood Wright was instrumental in creating the Birdcraft Wildlife Sanctuary in 1914 and founding the Connecticut Audubon Society (CAS) in 1898. Today, teams of staff and citizen-science volunteers at CAS Centers and Sanctuaries continue to use social networks to conduct research and support their initiatives. The exhibit features reproductions of Wright’s historic photographs scanned from the original glass negatives, dioramas, a stereoscope, artifacts and correspondence. The exhibit also explores the technology and social networking methods used in conservation science over the last century, from binoculars and compasses to GPS and cell phones. Guest curator is CAS's William Frank Mitchell. Exhibit runs March 5-April 22 in the Ruth Carlson Horn Gallery, Fairfield Museum and History Center, 370 Beach Road, Fairfield, 203-259-1598, www.fairfieldhs.org/whats-happening.php.

Come Along on any of Five Woodcock Watches at our Center at Pomfret:

See One of our "Top 20 Conservation Priority" Bird Species!

189 Pomfret St. (Route 169), Pomfret Center, 860-928-4948

Join Sanctuary Manager Andy Rzeznikiewicz to see Woodcock performing their mating display while you enjoy exploring some of our 700-acre Bafflin Sanctuary. With optimal weather and temperature conditions, we should hear and see Woodcock in action. Fee: $5 CAS Members, $10 Non-members. Schedule: Sat., March 13, 6:45 p.m.; Thurs., March 18, 6:45 p.m.; Thurs., March 25, 6:45 p.m.; Sat., March 27, 6:45 p.m.; Thurs., April 1, 7 p.m. Please pre-register. Photo copyright Paul J. Fusco: in the "Connecticut State of the Birds 2009" report, Connecticut Audubon Society selected the American Woodcock as one of its "Top 20 Conservation Priority" bird species. The species has shown a 50% decline over the last 40 years, primarily due to habitat loss. Click here to read the 2009 report.

Nature Nursery Series at the Birdcraft Museum in Fairfield:
Lois Ehlert Stories for children 2-3 years old accompanied by an actively participating adult. Join us Wednesday mornings for fun facts, cool crafts and wildlife walks. We’ll read a Lois Ehlert story and share simple ways to enjoy nature with your child. Wear appropriate indoor/outdoor attire and footwear and please pre-register. Per-program fee (for 1 child & 1 adult): $12/child CAS Members, $16/child Non-members. Schedule Wednesdays, 10-10:45 a.m. on March 17, “Mole’s Hill -- A Woodland Tale”; March 24, “Feathers for Lunch”; March 31, “Pie in the Sky.”

Annual "Egg-stravaganza" at the Center at Fairfield:
Egg Hunt & Breakfast or Egg Hunt & Snack
Saturday, March 27, 9:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.

“Eggs-plore” what’s hatching at the Center at Fairfield’s 15th annual “Egg-stravagana.” We have great things planned: an egg hunt for children 8 years and younger, spring crafts for families to do together, live animals and a visit from a Very Special Rabbit. Our Morning Egg Hunt includes a continental breakfast. Our Afternoon Egg Hunt includes juice, cookies and healthy snacks. Bring your cameras and your own baskets! Programs held rain or shine. Our Center at Fairfield is located at 2325 Burr Street.

Pre-registration & pre-payment required at time of registration: call 203-259-6305 ext. 109. Children must be accompanied by an adult. Program fee: $9/child, $6/adult CAS Members, $14/child, $11/adult Non-members. Free for children under 2 years old.

Photos: (r.) by Abigail Ray Kozel and (l.) Mara Neville.

After School Nature Club at
CAS's 168-acre Trail Wood Sanctuary
93 Kenyon Rd., Hampton, 860-928-4948
If your child needs some time to blow off steam after school, send her or him to Trail Wood. Our teacher-naturalists will fill their afternoons with fresh air and hikes and some lessons on wildlife. Fee per session: $35 CAS Members, $45 Non-Members.

April Session: Weds., March 31, April 7, 14, 28.
After School Nature Club participants take a hike
through Trail Wood; photo © Sarah Heminway.

Just in Time for Spring Migration: Fine Tune Your

Birding Skills at the Coastal Center in Milford!

1 Milford Point Rd., Milford, 203-878-7440

Birding for Beginners, Thurs., April 1, 7-9 p.m. (classroom), Sat., April 3, 9-11:30 a.m. (field trip). Our introductory hands-on course gives students the basics for identifying birds. Longtime instructor and expert birder Frank Gallo will teach you ID skills, how to choose and use field guides and binoculars, and where to find birds locally. Then we’re off on a field trip to a local birding hot spot. No experience necessary. Bring the “Peterson Field Guide to Eastern Birds” (field guides will be available for sale at the Coastal Center). Please register before March 30. Fee: $75 CAS Members, $95 Non-Members.

Sorting Out Bird Songs, Tuesday, April 6, 7-9 p.m. Tune up your ears in time for the migration rush. Bird songs and calls are incredible aids to finding and identifying birds. Learning them opens another dimension to birding. Instructor Frank Gallo, an avid student of bird song, will introduce participants to the basics of birding by ear, focusing on available sound resources as well as the tips, tricks and pitfalls to identifying birds by sound. Fee: $35 CAS Members, $55 Non-members..

Spring Will Soon Be Here --

Get Ready by Becoming a Member of Connecticut Audubon Society!

As a Member you are helping to support our
year-round environmental education & conservation programs & our advocacy work to protect birds and their habitats in Connecticut.

Click here to Renew your Membership or Join Online.

Join or Renew at any level & we'll e-mail you a Free $7 Gift Card from L.L.Bean or Eastern Mountain Sports or Amazon.com.
   
 
Join today: we offer additional gifts for different levels of Membership.  

Click here to learn about the benefits of Connecticut Audubon Society Membership.

Renew your Commitment to CT's Birds: You Do Make a Difference!

For more information call 203-259-6305 ext. 105 or click here to send us an e-mail.

Photo: Pileated Woodpecker by Jayne Gulbrand.

Email Your Representatives and Help Our Songbirds!
Support Increased Federal Funding for Bird Conservation:
Urge Re-authorization of Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Act
Bills in the US Senate and House would re-authorize the existing Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Act at significantly higher funding levels. Email your Senators and Representatives to make sure both bills pass for the benefit of our songbirds!

Why are these bills so important? Every year some five billion birds representing 500 different species migrate from winter habitats in Latin America to breed in North America. They face many threats, especially continuing habitat loss across the hemisphere. Many species are experiencing significant population decreases: the Cerulean Warbler and Olive-sided Flycatcher, among others, have declined by as much as 70% since the 1960s."The Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Act is the only source of federal funding dedicated specifically to bird conservation throughout the Americas. This extremely effective matching grants program coordinates and funds the conservation of neotropical migratory birds and habitats in the U.S., Latin America and the Caribbean. It has a proven track record of reversing habitat loss and degradation and of advancing innovative management and habitat restoration strategies. Passage of these bipartisan bills could dramatically increase funding, from the current $6 million to $20 million. All grants made by this Act must be matched by other funds, so every $1 of taxpayer money leverages $3 from private sources -- potentially $60 million in additional funding for bird conservation!" (American Bird Conservancy)

Email your Senators & ask them to support S. 690: click here to find/email them.

Email your Representatives & ask them to support H.R. 2213: click here to find/email them.

Photo: Common Yellowthroat © 2007 E.H. Soderberg.

Seen any gulls with large, colorful wing tags lately?

We regularly get phone calls from people who see gulls sporting brightly colored tags and a letter-number code on their wings. The birds are part of a program by the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) to track the habits and flight patterns of gulls near the Quabbin and Wachusett reservoirs in eastern Mass. DCR is asking the public’s help in reporting any sightings of tagged gulls, so DCR can track gull movement and the best way to prevent the gulls from overnighting at the reservoirs and potentially contaminating important public water supplies. DCR employees have tagged hundreds of Ring-billed, Herring and Great Black-back Gulls.
Each species has its own tag color, and each tag has an individual number,
easily legible without binoculars. Sightings have been received from central Mass. to Maine, Manitoba and Newfoundland, and many of these tagged gulls show up in Connecticut. If you see a wing-tagged bird, try to obtain the letter-number combination on the tag (e.g., A57) and report it to: Dan Clark, 508-792-7423, ext. 215 or dan.clark@state.ma.us. Please include time and place of sighting, bird's tag color and letter-number ID. Common places to find these wintering gulls are at landfills, parking lots and ball fields. For more info visit www.mass.gov/dcr/waterSupply/watershed/study/index.htm. Photos courtesy Massachusetts Dept. of Conservation and Research.

Connecticut Audubon Society Receives Contract Award from U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
Connecticut Audubon Society will perform field surveys and data analysis and provide managementrecommendations for a Wildlife and Flora Field Survey on five flood control projects in the Naugatuck River Area. The $30,000 contract is with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers New England District. Dr. Anton Leenders, Conservation Biologist, will head the effort for Connecticut Audubon Society, which will provide baseline biological information necessary for the preparation of master plans for USACE's CT projects. Click here to learn more.
Photo courtesy USACE: Thomaston Dam holding back a pool that is normally a dry bed reservoir. The flooded area is the Naugatuck River.

Help Needed at our Center at Fairfield with Bird Data
Long-time bird banding programs at CAS Centers and other bird inventory efforts have resulted in large amounts of valuable information on bird species across the state. Some of this information is many decades old and provides invaluable “snapshots in time,” enabling us to compare historic bird diversity and density with current numbers and determine which bird species are declining, holding steady or thriving.

CAS's Science & Conservation staff is compiling and analyzing this data. But we need volunteers who can tranfer the available information from notebooks, old banding sheets and other paper formats into a computer. Click here for more information. Photo: A Saw-whet Owl, held by master bird bander Carol Millard at our Bafflin Sanctuary in Pomfret.

We have many Volunteer Opportunities available: click here.

CLEAN ENERGY. It's Real. It's Here. It's Working -- in Connecticut!

Connecticut Audubon Members, Supporters and Friends can demonstrate their commitment to a healthy environment by signing up to support clean energy. This campaign is part of a pilot program, developed by the Connecticut Clean Energy Fund (CCEF). Five environmental non-profit organizations are asking constituents to enroll in the "CTCleanEnergyOptions™" program. For every 250 people who sign up from any of the 5 participating organizations, CCEF will donate a 1-kilowatt solar photovoltaic system to our Coastal Center at Milford Point, helping to create a system that will generate electricity and provide an educational exhibit for visitors with real-time monitoring available. Sign up for clean energy now! It's good for the birds, it's good for us, it's good for the environment. Click here for more info.                                                    

Click here to send us your comments and questions.

Click here for a MAP of our 5 Centers and 19 Wildlife Sanctuaries statewide.