Stratford Great Meadows Important Bird Area research and conservation
The Seaside Sparrow is one of the species of conservation concern that relies on the seasonally flooded salt marsh habitat in the Great Meadows Marsh
The Important Bird Area (IBA) program is a global effort by BirdLife International to identify and conserve areas that are vital to birds and other biodiversity. Important Bird Areas, or IBAs, are sites that provide essential habitat for one or more species of bird and include sites for breeding, wintering, and/or migrating birds. IBAs range from a few acres to thousands of acres in size and include public or private lands, or both, and they may be protected or unprotected. IBA programs in the USA are identified and coordinated through the Audubon Society.
On October 4, 2008, the recognition of Stratford Great Meadows, Long Beach and Pleasure Beach as an Important Bird Area was made public. The Stratford Great Meadows IBA is contains the largest unditched salt marsh remaining in the state of Connecticut (Great Meadows Unit of the Stewart B. McKinney NWR) and also features an important barrier beach (Long Beach), freshwater pools, and small upland areas. More than 310 species of birds have been recorded from this area, including many that are listed in the Connecticut Endangered and Threatened Species Act (CT-ESA).
Science and Conservation office staff has been working with the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and with Audubon Connecticut to carry out important migratory and breeding bird surveys in 2009 and 2010, to gather data that helps support current and ongoing conservation efforts in the area. In addition, Connecticut Audubon Society staff partnered with Baystate Environmental Consultants to produce an IBA Conservation Plan for the Stratford Great Meadows Important Bird Area, funded by the Jeniam Foundation.
The Stratford Great Meadows IBA provides critical habitat to numerous species other than birds. Shallow brackish pools in the upper reaches of the tidal marsh function as nurseries for young Horseshoe Crabs
Connecticut Audubon Society staff ventured into the field during spring and summer to inventory birds in the IBA and to document their exact location and habitat choices, breeding status and other relevant information. Over the course of two extended surveys (a 2009 Breeding Bird Survey and a 2010 spring migration survey) well over 21,000 birds were recorded, representing 160 species including many state and federally listed species and birds that are otherwise of conservation concern. Breeding was confirmed for species like Yellow-crowned Night-Heron, Willet, Clapper Rail, Yellow Warbler, Brown Thrasher, Piping Plover, Least Tern, Killdeer, Barn Swallow, Saltmarsh and Seaside Sparrows, Baltimore Oriole, Boat-tailed Grackle, Marsh Wren, and many more.
Migration pathways through the IBA could be identified during the 2010 surveys, providing insight in the relative importance of various landscape elements in the area during different seasons. During the survey periods we encountered several extreme lunar tide cycles that were devastating to the breeding success of Least Terns in the area (2009) while several forested uplands that are critical for migrants were severely damaged by a tornadic thunderstorm on June 24, 2010.
The effects of natural and man-made habitat alteration on the species that rely on the IBA are poorly known and it is important to continue our research in order to have the information needed to best manage and protect the IBA’s habitats for plants and animals that depend on them.
Photographs © Twan Leenders
