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With Summer Approaching, the Audubon Alliance Asks You to Share the Beach with Piping Plovers, Least Terns and Other Birds

Piping Plover on a Long Island Sound beach. Photo by Sean Graesser/Copyright Connecticut Audubon Society

June 2013 – A team of volunteers will be on Connecticut’s beaches this summer to monitor nest sites of vulnerable birds and help educate beach-goers about how they can help keep the birds safe.

The volunteers are working with the Audubon Alliance for Coastal Waterbirds to protect Piping Plovers, Least Terns, Common Terns, American Oystercatchers and other species that nest along the heavily-used beaches and islands of Long Island Sound.

The volunteers will be keeping their eyes on known nest sites, telling visitors why it’s important that they and their dogs stay clear of the nesting areas, and explaining the federal laws designed to protect the birds.

Among other places, the beach monitors will be at Connecticut Audubon Society’s Milford Point Coastal Center, Long Beach in Stratford, Sandy and Morse points in West Haven, Griswold Point in Old Lyme, and Bluff Point State Park in Groton. Read more here…

The 2013 legislative session in Hartford started full of promise, particularly on the issue of pesticide regulations, but ended in early June with mixed results. Two bills supported by Connecticut Audubon Society passed the General Assembly, and four we supported died. But three bills that we opposed died as well, making for a year of [...]

 Join us for Birds and Their Habitat, Connecticut Audubon Society’s 4th Annual Art Exhibit and Sale, September 27 -29, at the Center at Fairfield, 2325 Burr St. Birds and Their Habitat is a beautiful exhibit to help support Connecticut Audubon Society’s mission of conserving Connecticut’s environment through science-based education and advocacy focused on birds and [...]

Let the Birdies Fly! Save the Date forConnecticut Audubon Society’s10th Annual Golf Tournament Monday, September 23, 2013TPC River HighlandsCromwell, Ct. Join us for a great event to support Connecticut Audubon Society’s mission of conserving Connecticut’s environment through science-based education and advocacy focused on birds and their habitats. For tickets and sponsorship opportunities, click here. Or [...]

Like good parents, we don’t make judgments about which of our 19 sanctuaries are better than the others. We love them all. But that doesn’t mean others can’t render a judgment. The editors of Yankee Magazine have done just that, choosing Trail Wood and the Bafflin Sanctuary, in northeast Connecticut, as the Best Nature Sanctuaries [...]

The Ospreys have arrived at their nest platform at the Milford Point Coastal Center. Our Osprey Cam gives you an incredible live view of these amazing birds. The male showed up on March 22, his usual arrival time, and just after we repaired the platform and camera damage caused by the fall and winter storms. [...]

Updated June 7, 2013, with results of each bill … Connecticut Audubon Society is working in partnership with several conservation organizations to help pass legislation in Hartford in 2013. Click on each bill in the list below for details. Bills We SupportAn Act Concerning the Application of Pesticides in Municipal Parks, SB 914 (changed to [...]

Connecticut Audubon Society camps provide outdoor adventure and hands-on nature activities that encourage children ages 3- 15 to develop a respect for the natural world. Center at Fairfield or Birdcraft Sanctuary:To register click here. Camp Brochure. Registration Information, Registration Form, Medical Form, Authorization to Administer Medication Form. Junior Counselor Application Form. Milford Point Coastal Center:To [...]

Belly Rubs and Frog Slime: Young Citizen Scientists help study Amphibian Disease in CT

Last week we started field work for the continuation of our amphibian research to evaluate the presence of the fungal pathogen Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis in our native frogs, toads and salamanders. Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis, or Bd as it is often called, may cause a deadly disease in amphibians which has been implicated in unprecedented amphibian die-offs and population crashes [...]

Share the beach…

As the weather heats up in June many of Connecticut’s birds quiet down. You may hear less singing in your yard and see fewer species at some of our sanctuaries. However, this does not mean they are gone. Breeding season is in full swing and maintaining a low profile helps to ensure the protection of [...]

They’re back!

The first Neotropical migrants started arriving in small numbers a few weeks ago. This spring has been quite interesting since many species arrived much earlier than usual and some that are often not seen until May, like the Blackburnian Warbler, were present about two weeks early. Since the trees had not yet leafed out in April these birds were also relatively easily spotted this [...]

Connecticut Audubon Society Staff Finds Unique Hybrid Hawk In Connecticut

Frank Gallo, Associate Director of our Coastal Center at Milford Point and among the top birders in the state, recently came across an unusual-looking hawk while he was surveying for the Oxford Christmas Bird Count. Its features and behavior appeared to be a perfect mix of a Red-tailed Hawk and a Red-shouldered Hawk. Intrigued, he took notes [...]