News & Visitor Information at the Coastal Center at Milford Point
Coastal Center at Milford Point – Big Sit! 2024
The Big Sit! A great chance to support bird conservation
Help the Coastal Center’s Birds by Supporting the Big Sit Bird Challenge!
On October 13, 2024, the Connecticut Audubon Society’s B.W. Surf Scopers birding team (Jim and Patrick Dugan, Frank Gallo, Tina Green, Frank Mantlik, Tom Murray and George Amato) is working to support the Coastal Center at Milford Point. Our goal is to raise more than $7,000 (what we raised the last two years) by spotting as many different species of birds as possible from within a 17-foot diameter circle as a part of The Big Sit! They’ll start before dawn and end after dark. They pledge to SIT! (with conviction!) to raise funds to support the Coastal Center. Please help them by pledging your support. Your tax-deductible contribution allows them to achieve their ambitious goal of raising $7,000 by seeing (or hearing) 100+ species from one place in one day at one site near the Milford Coastal Center.
Every dollar you pledge will help us sustain our important, far-reaching, education and conservation efforts.
Purple Martin 2024 Final Report
A female Purple Martin feeds its chick a Red Admiral butterfly. Photo by Frank Mantlik.
We had conducted our last nest check on July 12. At that time, 46 active nests held 157 total chicks and 16 total eggs. Also, we presumed 21 chicks had already fledged from the colony. We made a decision to discontinue further nest checks. With so many chicks nearing fledgling age, we didn’t want to unduly cause nestlings to prematurely jump out of their nests before they were ready to make their first flight. We continued to visually monitor the colony from afar, and larger nestlings were observed fledging, while younger ones continued to be fed by their parents during the ensuing weeks.
As of this writing, all the chicks have fledged, the gourds appear all empty and inactive, and virtually all our Purple Martins have left the area. They are on their southbound migration to wintering grounds in the Amazon basin of South America!
So, how did our season go?
Of the 71 available gourds, we had 48 active nests.
Maximum number of eggs: 223
Presumed number of chicks that successfully fledged: 194
Date gourds installed: March 29
First Purple Martin arrived at colony: April 9
Date first eggs laid (approximately): May 26
Date first eggs hatched (approximate): June 11
Date last chick fledged (approximate): August 9
Average number eggs/active nest: 4.6
Average number fledglings per active nest: 4.0
This was the most successful and productive season we have had at Milford Point since I have been involved with monitoring the colony.
What’s next?
We will schedule a date in the fall to remove the gourds, empty the old nests, scrub, disinfect, and dry them. Then we’ll store them for the winter, so they are ready to install next spring.
Connecticut Audubon staff, board members, and volunteers help to conduct a routine nest check of the Purple Martin gourds. Photo by Frank Mantlik.
Our team: Frank Mantlik, Stefan Martin, George Amato, Tom & Katherine Murray, Lori Romick, Bev Propen, Gilles Carter, Johann Heupel, and Matt Joyce. Additional interns were James Leone, Toni Cepalia, Gian Garcia, and Matt Colberg.
Lastly, we wish to thank all the fine folks who donated to this project by adopting one or more gourds. Your generosity has allowed us to continue to monitor this important colony. We hope you’ve enjoyed these reports and photographs, as we documented the nesting season. We’ll see you next spring!
Frank Mantlik
Purple Martin Team Captain
Coastal Center Advisory Board member
Thank you, Harry Garafalo, for helping to make the Coastal Center a better place for visitors — avian and human!
Harry Garafalo, left, presents a donation to Coastal Center Director Ken Elkins, center, and regional board Chair George Amato.
June 21, 2024—We are delighted to share that CT Audubon’s Coastal Center has received a generous donation of over $26,000 from Harry Garafalo, the philanthropic owner and president of Garafalo Markets LLC.
This gift will be instrumental in making much-needed improvements to the center’s buildings and grounds, leading to an even better experience for you when you visit.
Harry’s commitment to conservation extends far beyond this donation. A member of the Coastal Center’s regional board until recently, he has consistently offered his encouragement, management advice, and efforts to organize work days on the sanctuary’s grounds involving ShopRite Market employees.
Their dedication has improved the sanctuary’s value to birds and the public’s enjoyment of Milford Point.
The Coastal Center is one of the most heavily visited birding spots in Connecticut, and we are deeply appreciative of Harry Garafalo’s and his ShopRite employees’ ongoing efforts on behalf of conservation and the public.
What to do with “abandoned” or “orphaned” birds
The CT DEEP has excellent advice for what to do if you find an “orphaned” bird. Click this link. Photo by Stephanie Galea/The Connecticut Audubon Society
Have you found an abandoned bird?
Birds and other wildlife that seem to be abandoned or orphaned at this time of year often are not actually abandoned or orphaned.
The Connecticut DEEP has advice about what to do if you find a bird that you think is abandoned. There are several alternatives.
Click here to learn about them.
Please do not bring injured or orphaned animals to any Connecticut Audubon Society facility. Connecticut Audubon is not authorized to accept injured or abandoned animals.
But if it is obviously injured, it may need help. The CT DEEP has more information here about dealing with distressed wildlife.
Monitoring air quality at the Coastal Center
We’ve installed a PurpleAir monitor at the Coastal Center as part of our ongoing commitment to environmental conservation. The monitor allows us to track local air quality and add to a community database, which can be used by weather tracking organizations, climate scientists, and the general public to learn more about the air around them.
PurpleAir monitors measure the concentration of air pollutants, providing real-time data on air quality conditions. By placing these monitors at our centers, we aim to educate about pollution and its impact on both human health and the environment.
Air quality is a critical component of environmental health, as poor air causes respiratory issues to people and wildlife. Birds are especially susceptible to poor air quality, but natural spaces like wildlife sanctuaries provide a pollution buffer and improve the overall health of the area. These monitors will allow us to better understand local air pollution levels and how green spaces impact them.
Mobile App
Explore our centers and sanctuaries on your mobile device
Soar through our centers and sanctuaries with this free app, which highlights unique and interesting features at each stop. Take one of our tours while you’re onsite or plan ahead with detailed directions and maps to your nearest Connecticut Audubon location.
Features include:
- Tours of our Centers and Sanctuaries
- Bird IDs with photos and descriptions
- Tips on how to create a native garden for birds and pollinators
- Interactive maps
For Android and other non-Apple devices, visit the web-based app. Software platform © Cuseum, Inc.
This App was made possible by Planet Fuel Charitable Fund.
Volunteer for habitat improvement work at Milford Point
Northern Mockingbird, photographed by George Amato near the Coastal Center’s recirculating waterfall, is one of the native bird species that benefit from habitat improvements.
The last several years have seen great improvements at the Milford Point Coastal Center. But there’s more to be done — and you can help.
We are recruiting volunteers to help remove invasive plants and replace them with native plants, which have much higher conservation value.
It is the kind of hands-on work that makes an immediate difference not just for birds but for pollinators, small mammals, and other wildlife as well.
Our goal is to establish a corps of volunteers to help on an ongoing basis. The crew will work at the direction of habitat steward Stefan Martin, who is overseeing improvement projects at several Connecticut Audubon sanctuaries.
If you can help or you’re interested in learning more, please email Stefan Martin, smartin@ctaudubon.org.
Coastal Center Sanctuary Rules
Please be sure to familiarize yourself with the rules of our grounds before your visit:
If you have any questions, please contact the center.
General Information
The boardwalk leading to the Sound. Photo courtesy of Anthony Donofrio.
Connecticut Audubon Society’s Coastal Center at Milford Point is located on an 8.4-acre barrier beach, next to the 840-acre Charles Wheeler Salt Marsh and Wildlife Management Area at the mouth of the Housatonic River.
The Coastal Center promotes the awareness and preservation of Long Island Sound’s ecosystem, and the birds and habitats it supports. Visitors to the center have access to the Sound and to tidal salt marshes, barrier beaches, tide pools, and coastal dunes.
The Coastal Center is a bird-watcher’s paradise – 315 species have been seen here, including many rarities.
We offer a full range of educational programs and events for families, children, and adults.
The Coastal Center provides educational exhibits, a tide pool demonstration tank, a salt-marsh laboratory, and program and meeting rooms.
The Coastal Center’s grounds encompass the 8-acre Smith-Hubbell Wildlife Refuge and Bird Sanctuary, a boardwalk and three other observation platforms, including a 70-foot covered tower for panoramic vistas.
Viewers from around the world watch the Center’s seasonal Osprey Cam, operated from our 18-foot tall nesting platform.
Directions
