Birds & Plants at the Coastal Center
Purple Martin 2024 Final Report: August 24, 2024
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
Once again, a Roseate Spoonbill visits Connecticut and the Milford Point Coastal Center
For the 4th time in 6 years, a Roseate Spoonbill is visiting Connecticut. This photo was taken in 2018 by Lesley Roy.
August 25, 2023 — A young man and his father saw it first yesterday afternoon, from the observation tower at the Milford Point Coastal Center: a Roseate Spoonbill, far off in the marsh.
The bird flew west, and Frank Mantlik, a member of Connecticut Audubon’s regional board for the Coastal Center, and at least five other birders found it shortly before dusk at Short Beach, Stratford. This morning, the bird was back in the marsh at the Coastal Center.
Roseate Spoonbills are year-round residents further south — North Carolina is the upper limit of its range. But birds wander north after nesting season, and it seems to be happening more often and further north.
Connecticut had no record of Roseate Spoonbill until September 2018, when one spent three weeks or so in and around the Coastal Center and near the mouth of the Housatonic River in general. This year’s bird is the fourth to visit the state in the last six years.
Among those who climbed the observation tower at Milford Point to see the Roseate Spoonbill on Friday were Tom Murray, taking a break on the bench, and Ellynne Plotnick, right. Photo by Stefan Martin.
Frank Mantlik took to eBird to describe what he saw at Short Beach: “Immature roosting in trees, with 8 Snowy Egrets, at N edge of old landfill along shore of tidal lagoon/marsh at N end of park. I first spotted it from near airport along Rt 113 (illegal to stop vehicle), then found a place within park to view it. Large long-legged pink-winged and white-bodied wader, a bit larger and longer winged than SNEG (i.e., Snowy Egret), with distinctive long, spatula-shaped bill.
“I got word out, and about six other birders arrived in time to see it. Eventually some of the egrets left the roost, then at 7:14pm, the Spoonbill and the last egret flew east over the tidal channel right past us.”
We will continue to provide updates.
Sign up for Connecticut Audubon’s Rare Bird Alert. We’ll keep you updated via text on the whereabouts of the Roseate Spoonbill and other rarites as they occur.
Purple Martin hatchlings photographed by Frank Mantlik on June 29, 2023. The 70 gourds at the Coastal Center held 30 active nests with 82 chicks and 39 eggs that day.
Purple Martin
Progne subis
Look for Purple Martins in and around any of several dozen colonies of man-made houses or gourds throughout Connecticut.
In the eastern U.S., these large swallows are completely dependent on man-made houses (though out west, they nest in natural cavities too).
All the successful colonies in Connecticut are near water. The birds soar and glide over lakes, tidal marshes, and grassy and shrubby fields, searching for flying insects, especially dragonflies, often at such heights that they’re impossible to see with the naked eye.
There’s a colony of 71 gourds at the Coastal Center at Milford Point. Connecticut Audubon staff and volunteers check the nests weekly throughout the breeding season.
All told, there might be as many as three dozen colonies in the state, including smaller and newer colonies at the Center at Pomfret and Deer Pond Farm, and well-established colonies at Sherwood Island and Hammonasset State Parks, and at the Quinebaug Valley Fish Hatchery in Plainfield. Kent seems to be a particularly good area for them.
Other Species
A total of 315 bird species have been seen at the Coastal Center. Ospreys nest in the marsh. Highly vulnerable species such as Piping Plovers and American Oystercatchers nest on the beaches. Snowy Owls often spend the winter in the area. Thousands of shorebirds congregate in August and September.
The nearby waters of Long Island Sound and the Housatonic River are rich in oysters and clams. The dune habitat supports rare plants. A thriving population of Purple Martins occupies a colony at the edge of the marsh.
Four observation platforms are available to wildlife viewing, as are the beaches. We also have a newly-established pollinator garden. We ask visitors to keep a respectful distance from all wildlife.
