January 29, 2026—Ava Michelangelo and Maggie Watson, teacher-naturalists at the Milford Point Coastal Center, produced an Ask the Naturalist video recently about how birds keep warm in winter. A reporter emailed Ava last week asking the same question, plus a few others. It seemed like a good time to share the questions and the video again. Then keep scrolling for important tips about providing food and water (absolutely essential) for birds in cold weather.
Blog – 2018
Birds Brave the Cold All Day and Night. How Do They Do it?
Thursday, January 29th, 2026Here Comes the Sun, with Author Bill McKibben, Tuesday, February 3
Tuesday, January 20th, 2026January 20, 2026—Starting with The End of Nature in 1989, author and environmentalist Bill McKibben has been on a quest to use the power of the pen to harness the power of the people to act on climate change. He’ll bring that crusade to Connecticut via Zoom on Tuesday, February 3, 2026, at 6:30 p.m. with a special presentation based on his latest book, Here Comes the Sun.
2026 Young, Gifted, and Wild About Birds: Dedicating Basic Research to Bird Conservation
Monday, January 26th, 2026January 26, 2026 — The 2026 Young, Gifted, and Wild About Birds series highlights the ways that conservation research is responding to the realities of bird population declines in the modern world. This year’s speakers demonstrate how data—from weather radar tracking bird movements around wind turbines to genetic mapping of disease resistance—can be used to identify which habitats are most critical to save.
Homegrown Habitat, January 2026: Virginia Rose
Saturday, January 17th, 2026January 17, 2026 — On my way to the kitchen each morning, I stop to peer out a large window to see what’s new in the garden and which winged visitors have stopped by. This winter I’ve enjoyed the view of Virginia rose (Rosa virginiana), with its red hips and stems bringing a welcome dash of color into the surrounding frozen landscape.
Celebrate the Pileated Woodpecker, Connecticut Audubon’s 2026 Bird of the Year
Monday, January 19th, 2026January 19, 2026—We’re excited to announce that Connecticut Audubon’s first-ever Bird of the Year is the Pileated Woodpecker, and that we’re holding a special webinar on Tuesday, January 20, to introduce you to this loud and large bird.
A Favorite from the Past: On the First Day of Christmas, Don’t Expect a Partridge in a Connecticut Pear Tree
Monday, December 22nd, 2025December 22, 2025 — A dozen years ago we took a light-hearted angle on a serious conservation problem — the long-term decline in Connecticut of Ruffed Grouse, also known colloquially as the partridge. Connecticut’s orchards are filled with pear trees but you’d have to hit the birding jackpot to find a partridge roosting in one. […]
Homegrown Habitat, December 2025: American Persimmon
Friday, December 19th, 2025December 18, 2025—American persimmon (Diospyros virginiana), also known as possumwood, date plum, winter plum, and others, is a fascinating deciduous tree in the ebony family. It is native to much of eastern and central U.S. The Latin species name, Diospyros, translates to food of the gods. But to experience this heavenly treat you have to wait until long after you’d expect: the plum-sized, apricot-hued berry is palatable only after the leaves fall, after a hard frost or two, and when the fruit looks as if it’s starting to rot—soft and wrinkled. (If you try to eat persimmons before they are ripe, prepare for powerful puckering.)
40 Piping Plovers nested and 38 babies fledged at Milford Point in 2025. No beach in Connecticut has had more in at least four decades.
Thursday, December 18th, 2025December 18, 2025—The sandspit at the Coastal Center at Milford Point has long hosted a thriving nesting population of Piping Plovers. But as productive as it has been in the past, this year was even better. A record number of Piping Plover chicks fledged there in 2025. In fact, more Piping Plovers hatched there — 38 — than on any beach anywhere in Connecticut in the four decades that records have been kept.
Osprey Nation 2025 Report: New Data Showing a Small but Concerning Drop in Connecticut’s Osprey Population Validate Need for Fish Prey Study
Thursday, December 4th, 2025December 4, 2025 — New data from the Connecticut Audubon Society’s Osprey Nation program show the lowest number of young birds per nest in the program’s 12-year history, a small but worrying dip in the population that underscores the need for a study of Osprey food and feeding habits in the state. The 2025 […]
2025 Conservation News
Thursday, July 10th, 2025Click HERE for Connecticut Audubon’s fall 2025 Conservation News. It includes: “Knowledge is power: Your support helps students turn lessons into action” Connecticut Audubon’s team of educators across the state is working with students and teachers to pick up trash near rivers and Long Island Sound. Even more important, school kids are learning how to […]
“The Little Things That Run The World” — free movie screening November 18 in Ridgefield
Wednesday, November 5th, 2025You’re invited to join Connecticut Audubon and Pollinator Pathway in Ridgefield on Tuesday evening, November 18, for a free showing in the film “The Little Things That Run The World” at the Ridgefield Playhouse. The movie will be followed by a discussion of the problems that pesticides cause for insects and birds, with Louise Washer, […]
Join us for a special presentation of “Season of the Osprey,” November 15 in New Preston
Tuesday, November 4th, 2025The resurgence of the nation’s Osprey population is one of conservation’s great story’s, and filmmaker Jacob Steinberg tells it beautifully in his Emmy-nominated documentary “Season of the Osprey.” Connecticut Audubon is offering an exclusive showing of the film, along with a Q&A with Steinberg, from 4 to 7 p.m. on Saturday, November 15, at Spring […]
Homegrown Habitat, October 2025: Sassafras
Monday, October 20th, 2025October 20, 2025 — The sassafras tree (Sassafras albidum) is not only fascinating for its place in cultural and culinary history, but it supports many types of wildlife and delights humans in every season.
High Alert: Protect Migrating Birds by Turning Out Lights
Monday, September 29th, 2025September 29, 2025—Autumn bird migration is going full throttle and as part of Connecticut Audubon’s Bird-Friendly Fall, we want to remind you to turn out your lights at night to protect migrating birds.
Homegrown Habitat, September 2025: Grasses
Saturday, September 20th, 2025September 20, 2025—Landscape designer Sarah Middeleer discusses native grasses for the fall garden.
Bird-friendly yards for a Bird-Friendly Fall
Wednesday, September 17th, 2025Join Connecticut Audubon’s conservation manager, Stefan Martin, along with Jed Duguid of Oliver Nurseries in Fairfield, for a special Bird-Friendly Fall presentation, via Zoom, on Tuesday, October 14, at 7 p.m.
You CAN Go Home Again: Researchers have learned that American Oystercatchers return to the same locations. Two birds are loyal to the sandbar at Milford Point
Monday, August 25th, 2025August 25, 2025 — Each year, American Oystercatchers return to Connecticut’s beaches to nest, but face constant threats from predators. At Milford Point, two banded birds — N29, once rescued as a chick, and 3T, a fiercely territorial female — have shown the resilience and struggles of their species. Their stories highlight both the challenges of mainland nesting and the importance of protecting coastal habitats so these remarkable shorebirds can thrive.
Homegrown Habitat, August 2025: Great Lobelia
Monday, August 18th, 2025August 18, 2025—The deep blue, tubular flowers of great lobelia begin to bloom in August and continue into October, the bloom sequence proceeding from lower on the stalk upward. The flowers attract long-tongued bees, including bumblebees, as well as hummingbirds. Butterflies and hummingbird moths also visit great blue lobelia flowers, and the foliage is host to several species of moth larvae.
Splish Splash: Even Owls Love a Summer Bath (And All Birds Need Water in Hot Weather)
Monday, August 4th, 2025August 4, 2025 — You might never see a better reminder that birds need cool water on hot days than a photo of a Barred Owl visiting a birdbath. Here’s a reminder that birds need cool water on a hot day as much as you do.
Ospreys to the south are suffering. We’re keeping an eye on the situation in Connecticut.
Friday, August 1st, 2025August 1, 2025 — You may have heard the news that Ospreys south of Connecticut, in Virginia especially, are not doing well. We have not seen anything similar in Connecticut but concern is growing, so we like to share what we know.
