Connecticut Audubon Society

It must be Spring! For 12th year in a row an Osprey pair returns to
our nesting platform in Milford. Click here to read the press release.

YOUR HELP NEEDED! Please "Act for Songbirds" By Voicing Your Support for H.R. 5756 --
One of the Most Important Pieces of Federal Bird Conservation Legislation

Approximately 500 of the nearly 800 bird species in the U.S. are migratory birds, and they are at serious risk due to hemisphere-wide habitat loss caused by deforestation, development and other human hazards. Connecticut Audubon Society is an active member of the Bird Conservation Alliance that is advocating the passage of H.R. 5756. Introduced by Representatives Ron Kind (D-WI) and Wayne Gilchrest (R-MD), the "Act for Songbirds" provides for early reauthorization of the "Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Act" (NMBCA) at considerably higher funding levels: from $6 million to $20 million by 2015. "NMBCA is the only federal U.S. grants program specifically dedicated to the conservation of our migrant birds that is available Americas-wide. It has a proven track-record of success, having supported 225 projects in 44 U.S. states/territories and 34 other countries since its inception in 2002. More than $21 million in NMBCA grants have leveraged over $97 million in required matching partner contributions."

For more information -- and to access a form letter you can e-mail your U.S. Representatives urging them to co-sponsor this vital legislation -- please Click Here.

Join CAS's Miley Bull to Learn About the Health and Future of CT’s Bird Life

on Thur., June 26., 7:30 pm at Fairfield Public Library, 1080 Post Road -- a Free Event.
Miley's "Connecticut State of the Birds" Presentation Kicks off the 4-Day
“Penfield Beach Sand Sculpture Festival” -- click here for more information.

Crowded House at CAS's Osprey Nesting Platform: 4th of 4 Eggs Laid Hatches May 22 – A First for Our Milford Point Nest! See Them Live on State’s 1st Osprey Cam: www.ctaudubon.org

The e-mails starting arriving at our offices well before 9 a.m. today from Osprey Cam viewers -- and the news was all good. For the first time our Osprey pair nesting at Milford Point has produced 4 eggs -- and all have hatched! Click here to read more.

Click Here to see the Osprey live.

This "rare and scarce" 1860 edition of Julius Bien's folio of John James Audubon's "Birds of America" measures 54.5 inches tall and 40.5 inches wide. Starting April 19, it will be on display again for the first time since 2003 (when Pequot Library began renovations). Each day the book Is on display a page will be turned so that visitors can see all 65 plates. Pequot Library, 720 Pequot Ave., Southport, 203-259-0346.

Connecticut Audubon Society Receives Highest 4-Star Rating from Charity Navigator!

Connecticut Audubon Society has received the coveted 4-Star Rating from the national charity evaluator, Charity Navigator, the highest rating for a non-profit organization. In his letter, Michael Smith, Interim President of Charity Navigator wrote, “We are proud to announce Connecticut Audubon Society has earned our 4-star rating for its ability to efficiently manage and grow its finances. Approximately a quarter of the charities we evaluate have received our highest rating, indicating Connecticut Audubon Society outperforms the majority of non-profits in America with respect to fiscal responsibility. The ‘exceptional’ designation from Charity Navigator differentiates Connecticut Audubon Society from its peers and demonstrates to the public it is worthy of their trust.” (Click here to read the press release.)

Connecticut Audubon Society's "Raven Luna-Ticks" Team Wins 2nd Place
In 25th Annual World Series of Birding, held May 10 in N.J.

"The World Series of Birding went very well," said Frank Gallo, Raven Luna-Ticks captain and CAS director of shoreline education. "CT Audubon's Raven Luna-Ticks placed second, again, tying the Cornell team with 222 species." (The Nikon team won with 229 species.) "It was a tougher year for everyone as the weather was a bit cold and foggy in the morning. We still managed to pull out both American and Least Bitterns, all the owls, including Barn, Long-eared and Saw-whet, and all but one of the rails. We heard the rare Black Rail but not Yellow Rail. Hopefully, next year will be our year. Three’s the charm! So far, we’ve brought in $5,000 in pledges and more is coming!"

Thanks to everyone who supported our 2008 "Raven Luna-Ticks" Team. And thanks to Bushnell Outdoor Products, whose sponsorship means that 100% of every dollar donated helps support CT Audubon's year-round conservation and education programs. You can still support our 2008 team: Click Here to download our 2008 pledge form.

National Geographic Magazine's "Bird Blitz" feature article (April 2008 issue) previewed the 2008 WSB and features an interview with CAS's Frank Gallo -- Click here.

"Uncommon" Black Vulture Visits Connecticut Audubon's Center at Fairfield

On February 27 staff at our Center at Fairfield realized the Turkey Vulture they thought was sitting atop an outdoor cage (where we house our birds of prey) was really a Black Vulture, an uncommon sight in Connecticut. According to Milan Bull, Connecticut Audubon's senior director of science and conservation, Black Vultures can be found scattered along the Atlantic coastline from Florida to New Jersey but sightings in Connecticut are on the rise.

Photo © 2008 by Ann O'Leary.

Connecticut Audubon Society Issues 2008 “Connecticut State of the Birds” Report, which focuses on possible conservation strategies for six bird species“in serious trouble" to illustrate how complex the problems and the solutions are. Click here to read our report.

Thanks to All Who Participated in the 2008 Connecticut Audubon Society Eagle Festival®

. . . in Essex, CT, the best place to see the largest concentration of wintering eagles
in the entire Northeast! You have helped to make our Connecticut Audubon Society Eagle Festival® "the Largest Birding Event in North America"!

Save the Dates!
The 2009 Connecticut Audubon Society Eagle Festival® -- our 10th annual event! -- takes place Feb. 14-15, 2009 in Essex, CT.

SPECIAL ARTICLE:
Bald Eagle Removed From Federal Endangered Species List by Julie Victoria, Wildlife Biologist,
CT Department of Environmental Protection

On June 9, 2007 the Federal Register announced the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s removal of the Bald Eagle from the federal list of endangered and threatened wildlife, effective August 8, 2007.

When adopted as our national symbol in 1782, an estimated 100,000 pairs of Bald Eagles were breeding in the continental Unites States. The Bald Eagle was a regular nester in Connecticut through the early 1900s, though the numbers of pairs are not known. Click here to read the entire article. (Also, see related article below.)

Eagle photo © 2007 by Mathias Kohring.

The Bald Eagle's Comeback from Near Extinction
40 years and decades of conservation work later,
the Bald Eagle population has rebounded in the
lower 48 states: from 417 nesting pairs in 1967
to some 10,000 nesting pairs today.
By Milan Bull, Connecticut Audubon Society
Biologists, natural resource regulators and bird lovers around the country are thrilled that the Bald Eagle, our National Symbol, is now officially off the Federal "Endangered Species" list in the lower 48 states.This marks the climax of a decades-long effort to successfully restore this magnificent raptor, literally bringing it back from the brink of extinction. This effort involved the will of the American public, a tremendous amount of hard work, and, of course, a lot of money.
Conservation works! Bald Eagles are re-populating habitats that haven’t seen eagles for many decades, thrilling birders, wildlife watchers and local residents around the country. In Connecticut and other states, however, the Bald Eagle will remain a state-listed "Endangered Species." State regulators understand that our eagles are rebounding and being observed by more and more people from Stonington to Greenwich. However, now is not the time to be complacent. As our eagle population increases, it's important to note that eagle habitat is declining. Human population growth and suburban sprawl are eating up prime eagle habitat. We need to be sure that when those two curves meet, there is enough quality habitat remaining to support a sustainable Bald Eagle population. At Connecticut Audubon Society we believe it is much better to prevent birds from getting on the "Endangered Species" list than it is to try and recover them later. It also costs a lot less money and angst. We are working to identify and conserve critical bird habitats now, before more birds are added to the list. As part of our efforts to protect critical bird species and promote biodiversity, we are also preserving woodlands, meadows and wetlands that make Connecticut such a great state for all of us – humans and wildlife alike. Click here to read our Connecticut State of the Birds reports, which describe the impact of habitat loss and other serious threats on our state's birdlife, and how Connecticut Audubon Society is working to protect bird populations and conserve Connecticut's natural environment.

More of the World's Birds "Than Ever Face Extinction," Per BirdLife International
According to BirdLife International's latest evaluation of the world’s birds, "more species than ever are threatened with extinction . . . and additional conservation action is critical to reversing current declines." Published May 21, 2007, BirdLife International’s latest annual "Red List" update states that "1,221 species are considered Threatened with extinction and are to be listed as such on the 2007 IUCN Red List. The Red List takes into account population size, population trends and range size for all 10,000 bird species worldwide. The latest update also shows an additional 812 bird species are now considered Near Threatened, adding up to a total of 2,033 species that are urgent priorities for conservation action. The overall conservation status of the world’s birds has deteriorated steadily since 1988, when they were first comprehensively assessed. Now, more than a fifth (22%) of the planet’s birds is at increased risk of extinction." Click here to learn more.

Connecticut Audubon Society's first annual "Connecticut State of the Birds" report, published in 2006, identifies habitat loss as the most serious threat to our native birds populations and habitats. Our 2007 report identifies specific man-made activities that are taking a significant toll on Connecticut’s already-stressed native bird populations. Click here to learn more. Of the 290 bird species that occur regularly or annually in the state, Connecticut's DEP lists 50 native birds that are either Endangered, Threatened, or Special Concern species. Click here to learn more.