November 29, 2022 — To provide context for the 2022 Connecticut State of the Birds report, we are posting the report’s introduction and a conservation timeline. You’re invited to join the senior conservation staff of Connecticut Audubon and the report’s authors for a release-day presentation on Zoom, 11 a.m., Thursday, December 1.
Blog – 2018
A Look Back: 125 Years and More of Assaults on Birds, and Solutions by Conservationists — Connecticut State of the Birds 2022
Tuesday, November 29th, 2022385 Osprey Nation volunteers mapped 606 active nests in 2022, more than ever
Monday, November 21st, 2022November 21, 2022 — The number of Osprey nests in Connecticut continued to grow in 2022, and the Osprey Nation volunteer monitoring project grew with it, allowing conservationists to keep a close eye on the species and its recovery from near extinction.
November 2022: Witch Hazel—A native plant with deep roots in Connecticut’s history
Thursday, November 17th, 2022November 17, 2022 — Common witch hazel is, in the words of Edwin Way Teale, “a botanical individualist.” As I researched this remarkable plant, I couldn’t agree more. I would add that its individuality extends to historical and cultural realms as well. This large deciduous shrub is the last plant to come into bloom each year in the Northeast; its Y-shaped branches have been used as divining rods to discover underground water; it has played a fascinating role in Connecticut’s industrial history; and its extract has been hailed for hundreds of years as a balm for irritated skin, among other maladies, and continues to be used in cosmetics and personal care products to this day.
Add your name to a letter supporting the Recovering America’s Wildlife Act
Wednesday, November 16th, 2022November 16, 2020 — Conservation organizations like Connecticut Audubon are starting to make a final push to persuade the U.S. Senate to pass the Recovering America’s Wildlife Act. Those of us at Connecticut Audubon have added our name to a letter supporting passage. It’s important to include as many names as possible, so we’re asking you to please consider adding your name as well.
Tiny transmitters and powerful antennas give a fascinating glimpse of the birds migrating through Connecticut
Friday, November 4th, 2022November 4, 2022 — Some of the most interesting birds recorded at Connecticut Audubon sanctuaries during this year’s fall migration were birds that nobody even saw. These birds had been fitted with tiny transmitters that let researchers using the Motus Wildlife Tracking System follow their movements across thousands of miles. They were detected by Motus antennas at the Center at Pomfret and Deer Pond Farm.
October 2022: Tupelo
Monday, October 24th, 2022October 24, 2022 — Tupelo (Nyssa sylvatica) is native to so many regions (from Ontario south to Florida, Texas and Mexico, and west to Michigan and Wisconsin) that it has many other common names, including nyssa, sour gum, black gum, and pepperidge. This elegant deciduous tree is at its ornamental best in fall, when its foliage transitions from yellow to apricot, orange, and bright scarlet.
This Invasive Plant Symposium can help you improve your property for birds
Monday, October 24th, 2022October 24, 2022 — The Connecticut Audubon Society is co-sponsoring an upcoming symposium that can help you improve your property for birds and plants. The theme is Strategies for Managing Invasive Plants: Assess, Remove, Replace, and Restore.
News Release: Connecticut Audubon Members Elect Pamela Fraser, Ph.D., as New Chair of the Board
Monday, October 17th, 2022October 17, 2022 — Members of the Connecticut Audubon Society elected Easton resident Pamela Fraser, Ph.D., as the new chair of the Board of Directors, at its Annual Meeting on Saturday, October 15, in Sherman. Fraser succeeds Kathleen Van Der Aue as chair and will serve a 3-year term. Formerly vice chair, Fraser has served on the Board since 2018. In addition to Fraser, they also elected Sarah Middeleer of Newtown as vice chair and Gilles Carter of New Haven as secretary, and re-elected Harshad Kuntey of Glastonbury as treasurer. Newly-elected to the Board were Robert Lamothe of Hamden, Andrew Holmes of Brooklyn, N.Y., Elizabeth Ramsey of Fairfield and New York, and Kevin B. Ramsey, of Fairfield and New York.
Pamela Fraser nominated as next chair of Connecticut Audubon’s Board of Directors
Tuesday, October 11th, 2022October 11, 2022 — The Connecticut Audubon Board of Directors has nominated Pamela Fraser, Ph.D., of Easton to become chair. Pam will take over for Kathleen Van Der Aue, who has guided the organization for four years, helped ably by Pam as vice chair.
Shorebird identification made as easy as possible
Thursday, September 22nd, 2022September 22, 2022 — There are at least a dozen species of shorebirds still to be found on Connecticut’s beaches in late September. They can be tough to identify. But we’re here to help.
2022 Annual Meeting of members scheduled for October 15 at Deer Pond Farm
Wednesday, September 21st, 2022Connecticut Audubon members: come to Connecticut Audubon’s 2022 Annual Meeting and be part of the conservation future. After two years of Annual Meetings via Zoom, we’ll be back in person for 2022.
Improvements to the Larsen Sanctuary in Fairfield benefit wildlife, Long Island Sound, and the 10,000 people who visit each year
Tuesday, September 6th, 2022September 6, 2022 — The work at the Larsen Sanctuary is one of at least 20 habitat improvement projects that Connecticut Audubon is undertaking. Those projects encompass more than 450 acres; 12 of the projects are on Connecticut Audubon sanctuaries and eight are in collaboration with other conservation organizations or state and local agencies.
Federal funds will go toward major conservation and education improvements at the Roger Tory Peterson Estuary Center
Monday, March 25th, 2024March 25, 2024—Two environmental improvement projects planned for the Roger Tory Peterson Estuary Center in Old Lyme have been awarded funding from the federal government. The Estuary Center will receive $800,000 to improve bird and wildlife habitat, and $500,000 to address climate control and energy efficiency for its historic building.
The shorebirds are here, and we’ve scheduled 9 bird walks to help you enjoy them
Monday, August 15th, 2022August 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.
Hot days at the cool coast for New Haven campers
Monday, August 8th, 2022August 8, 2022 — Seventy-five kids from New Haven day camps got a bracing taste of Long Island Sound’s wildness this summer at the Coastal Center at Milford Point. The kids, who were enrolled in New Haven Eco-Adventure camps, each spent a couple of hot mornings feeling the cool breezes. They waded in the lapping waves and explored the marsh, learning about the plants and animals that live on the Sound’s shore. The visits were a collaboration between the Connecticut Audubon Society and New Haven Youth and Recreation camps. The Greater New Haven Green Fund sponsored the visits.
Act now to help preserve Plum Island
Thursday, July 28th, 2022July 28, 2022 — Connecticut Audubon’s network of advocates has a chance to help preserve Plum Island for the benefit of the public and the region’s wildlife. Please write today to President Joe Biden and urge him to declare Plum Island a national monument for conservation and historic preservation.
Peril overcome, an American Oystercatcher returns home to Milford Point
Tuesday, July 12th, 2022In the sanctuaries …
July 12, 2022 — Life for the birds nesting on the Milford Point sandbar is always fraught, and the summer of 2020 was particularly perilous for the American Oystercatchers there. But two babies survived, and their tale is amazing.
What to do about climate change? “Birds Are Telling Us It’s Time To Act.”
Friday, July 1st, 2022July 1, 2022 — Targeted, aggressive land preservation and restoration can help Connecticut and other states meet their climate change goals. An added benefit: the work would protect and improve habitat for scores of native birds. A day after yesterday’s U.S. Supreme Court decision in West Virginia v. EPA, it’s worth looking back to Connecticut Audubon’s 2021 Connecticut State of the Birds report, titled “Three Billion Birds Are Gone. How Do We Bring Them Back?”
To protect nesting birds, the Coastal Center gates will be locked for the 4th of July weekend. But all our other sanctuaries are open as usual.
Thursday, June 30th, 2022June 30, 2022 — As you’re making plans to visit Connecticut Audubon’s sanctuaries over the 4th of July weekend, keep in mind that the parking lot gates at the Milford Point Coastal Center will be locked at 4 p.m. today, June 30, and will open again at sunrise on July 5. But all of our other sanctuaries will be open as usual.
Daily Bird nesting season special: Red-eyed Vireo
Monday, June 27th, 2022June 27, 2022 — The Red-Eyed Vireo is widely distributed throughout Connecticut wherever forested habitats are present. This bird prefers to forage and nest in deciduous forests and is a very successful breeder throughout the state. You are loikely to hear its near-endless singing before you see the bird.
