The shorebirds are here, and we’ve scheduled 9 bird walks to help you enjoy them

You can expect to see a dozen or more species of shorebird on these walks. Photo by Frank Mantlik.

August 15, 2022 — Shorebird migration is an annual spectacle, and a reminder of how important the state is for shorebird conservati0n. Connecticut Audubon is ready to help you learn all about it — and enjoy it in the process.

We’ve scheduled nine shorebird walks over three weeks at four locations. We are also co-sponsoring a shorebird identification program via Zoom.

Each walk is designed for birders of all levels — we encourage beginners to sign up! Leading the walks are Frank Mantlik, a member of the Milford Point Coastal Center’s regional board; Ken Elkins, director of the Milford Point Coastal Center; Stefan Martin, Connecticut Audubon’s habitat steward; and Joe Attwater, conservation and education coordinator at our Roger Tory Peterson Estuary Center.

What will you see if you sign up? Sanderlings, Semipalmated Sandpipers, Black-bellied Plovers, Piping Plovers, Ruddy Turnstones, Least Sandpipers, American Oystercatchers, Greater Yellowlegs and more. Those are the usual suspects. You never know when a rarity might show up (but if it does, we’ll find it).

The schedule:
Saturday, August 20, Milford Point Coastal Center, Milford
Wednesday, August 24, Barn Island Wildlife Management Area, Stonington
Thursday, August 25, Milford Point Coastal Center, Milford
Friday, August 26, Milford Point Coastal Center, Milford
Monday, August 29, Milford Point Coastal Center, Milford
Thursday, September 1, Griswold Point, Old Lyme
Tuesday, September 6, Milford Point Coastal Center, Milford
Saturday, September 10, Hammonasset State Park, Madison

Milford Point programs are sponsored by the Milford Point Coastal Center. Click here for times and registration information.

The others are sponsored by the Roger Tory Peterson Estuary Center. Click here for times and registration information.

Bring binoculars and, if you have one, a spotting scope.

The Zoom session will be led by Connecticut Audubon Executive Director Patrick Comins. It’s being held in conjunction with the Connecticut Ornithological Association.

The program is free. Register here via Zoom.