Audubon Alliance for Coastal Waterbirds update #19

This is the nineteenth update by the Audubon Alliance for Coastal Waterbirds (AAfCW) for the 2012 season. It includes reports of Piping Plover, American Oystercatcher, Least Tern, and Common Tern received from 12:00 p.m. on July 16 through 12:00 p.m. on July 23 with sightings of birds spanning July 16 through July 22 by our staff and volunteers.

Informational updates:

A big thank you to everyone who signed up to help with International Shorebird Surveys! We should end up covering nearly two dozen sites with many more individual survey points this spring and fall between staff and volunteers. This is a tremendous boost to the ISS program and our own conservation efforts here in Connecticut. If you are unable to participate this season but want to help out further with waterbird conservation, stay tuned – we may have an opportunity for you to contribute to shorebird, tern, and long-legged wader monitoring in a less formal but still essential and beneficial way. We will also likely need some additional assistance later in the season (September and October) when seasonal staff work has concluded. If you are interested in taking over an ISS at that point for a few surveys at key sites, please let us know.

There are currently only two open slots remaining for our series of shorebird identification seminars taking place at the Coastal Center at Milford Point. The first seminar is this Thursday, July 26. If you would like one or both of these last spots email us as soon as you can at ctwaterbirds@gmail.com. For more information, check it out on our blog here: http://ctwaterbirds.blogspot.com/2012/07/shorebird-identification-seminars-at.html

Survey and monitoring updates:

Piping Plover
Volunteer and staff surveys:
8 adults, 3 juveniles at Milford Point on 7/16
1 pair, 3 adults at Bluff Point on 7/16
1 pair, 3 adults, 2 chicks, 8 juveniles at Long Beach on 7/16
2 pairs, 11 adults, 6 chicks, 3 juveniles at Sandy/Morse Points on 7/16
1 pair, 10 adults/juveniles, 2 chicks at Sandy/Morse Points on 7/17
2 adults, 1 juvenile at Milford Point on 7/17
1 pair, 3 adults, 2 chicks, 2 juveniles at Long Beach on 7/17
2 pairs, 4 adults, 2 chicks at Bluff Point on 7/17
4 adults, 1 juvenile at Milford Point on 7/18
1 pair, 2 adults, 3 chicks, 5 juveniles at Sandy/Morse Points on 7/19
2 pairs, 3 adults, 3 chicks, 2 juveniles at Long Beach on 7/19
2 pairs, 13 adults, 7 chicks, 1 juvenile at Sandy/Morse Points on 7/19
4 adults, 2 juveniles at Milford Point on 7/19
5 adults, 6 chicks, 3 juveniles at Harkness Memorial State Park on 7/19
3 adults, 1 juvenile at Milford Point on 7/21
2 adults, 2 juveniles at Long Beach on 7/21
1 pair, 3 chicks at Griswold Point on 7/22
1 pair, 1 adult, 5 chicks, 1 juvenile at Harkness Memorial State Park on 7/22
3 adults at Bluff Point on 7/22

American Oystercatcher
Volunteer and staff surveys:
1 pair, 4 adults, 2 chicks at Milford Point on 7/16
3 adults at Bluff Point on 7/16
3 pairs, 2 chicks, 1 nest at Sandy/Morse Points on 7/16
2 pairs, 2 chicks at Sandy/Morse Points on 7/17
1 pair, 1 adult at Salt Island on 7/17
1 adult at Menunketesuck Island on 7/17
2 pairs, 1 chick at Milford Point on 7/17
10 adults at Menunketesuck Island on 7/17
2 pairs, 2 chicks at Sandy/Morse Points on 7/18
2 pairs, 3 adults, 2 chicks at Milford Point on 7/18
2 pairs, 1 chick at Milford Point on 7/18
2 pairs, 1 chick, 1 nest at Sandy/Morse Points on 7/19
3 pairs, 2 chicks at Sandy/Morse Points on 7/19
3 pairs, 1 chick at Milford Point on 7/19
2 adults, 1 chick at Harkness Memorial State Park on 7/19
4 pairs, 1 adult, 3 chicks at Sandy Point Stonington on 7/20
1 pair, 4 adults at Milford Point on 7/21
1 adult at Long Beach on 7/21
1 pair at Milford Point on 7/22
1 pair at Great Captain's Island on 7/22
2 pairs, 1 chick at Bluff Point on 7/22

Least Tern
Volunteer and staff surveys:
12 adults, 1 possible nest at Milford Point on 7/16
2 pairs, 5 adults, 5 chicks at Bluff Point on 7/16
2 pairs, 33 adults, 4 nests at Long Beach on 7/16
2 pairs, 150+ adults, 79 chicks, 44+ nests at Sandy/Morse Points on 7/16
140 adults, 59 chicks, 140 nests at Sandy/Morse Points on 7/17
9 adults at Milford Point on 7/17
5 adults at Menunketesuck Island on 7/17
2 pairs, 35 adults, 3 nests at Long Beach on 7/17
2 adults at Silver Sands State Park on 7/18
10 adults at Milford Point on 7/18
97 adults, 44 chicks, 47 nests at Sandy/Morse Points on 7/19
3 pairs, 2 nests at Long Beach on 7/19
14 adults at Silver Sands State Park on 7/19
3 adults at East Broadway Milford on 7/19
100+ adults, 91 chicks, 28+ nests at Sandy/Morse Points on 7/19
12 adults at Milford Point on 7/19
15 adults at Harkness Memorial State Park on 7/19
3 adults at Stratford Point on 7/21
9 adults at Milford Point on 7/21
25 adults at Long Beach on 7/21
25 adults at Milford Point on 7/22
6 pairs, 46-60 adults, 12 chicks, 16 nests at Griswold Point on 7/22
9 adults, 1 chick, 2 nests at Harkness Memorial State Park on 7/22
10 adults, 1 chick at Bluff Point on 7/22

Common Tern
Volunteer and staff surveys:
300 adults/juveniles at Milford Point on 7/16
5 adults at Bluff Point on 7/16
10 adults, 3 juveniles at Long Beach on 7/16
50-70 adults, 1 chick at Sandy/Morse Points on 7/16
20 adults, 1 chick, 5 nests at Sandy/Morse Points on 7/17
100+ adults at Cockenoe Sand Spit on 7/17
50+ adults at Milford Point on 7/17
4 adults at Silver Sands State Park on 7/17
8 adults at Menunketesuck Island on 7/17
9 adults, 3 juveniles at Long Beach on 7/17
2 adults at Silver Sands State Park on 7/18
8 adults at Milford Point on 7/18
8 adults at Sandy/Morse Points on 7/19
2 adults at Long Beach on 7/19
3 adults at Silver Sands State Park on 7/19
40+ adults, 1 chick, 5 nests at Sandy/Morse Points on 7/19
50 adults/juveniles at Milford Point on 7/19
7 adults at Harkness Memorial State Park on 7/19
3 adults at Stratford Point on 7/20
250 adults/juveniles at Stratford Point on 7/21
4 adults at Long Beach on 7/21
1 adult at Great Captain's Island on 7/22
66 adults, 7 chicks at Griswold Point on 7/22
2 adults at Harkness Memorial State Park on 7/22
14 adults, 1 juvenile at Bluff Point on 7/22

Additional shorebird species have begun to make their way into Connecticut. Whimbrels, Pectoral Sandpipers, and Western Sandpipers have all been noted along with individuals numbering into the thousands of the more common species at times. Please watch for and report any banded tern you may see as our local breeding species begin to spread out a little more.

This concludes update #19 through 7/23/12 as of 4:00 p.m.


Audubon Alliance for Coastal Waterbirds, Audubon Connecticut and the Connecticut Audubon Society partnering to improve conditions for coastal waterbirds in Connecticut.

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