November 15, 2021 — Since 2018, Connecticut Audubon has been part of a growing communications network that lets conservation scientists (and everybody else) see which routes birds take when they are migrating and where their journeys lead. The network is called the Motus Wildlife Tracking System. It relies on tiny transmitters attached to individual birds, and a series of antennas erected throughout the U.S. and Canada. A few months ago, our third antenna array was erected, at the Center at Pomfret.
Blog – 2018
A network to help protect birds expands at Connecticut Audubon
Monday, November 15th, 2021National Estuarine Research Reserve proposal progresses
Thursday, October 21st, 2021October 21, 2021 — Progress toward establishment a new estuary reserve in southeastern Connecticut reached a milestone this week, when the official period for commenting on the project’s draft environmental impact statement ended. Connecticut Audubon is a strong supporter of the National Estuarine Research Reserve.
Dave Engelman Volunteer Benchmark Awards for 2021
Wednesday, October 20th, 2021October 21, 2021 — Four volunteers who have worked hard over the years to help improve Connecticut’s environment and help local people enjoy birds and the outdoors were the recipients of Connecticut Audubon’s annual Dave Enelman Volunteer Benchmark Awards.
Connecticut Audubon welcomes four new members to the Board of Directors
Tuesday, October 19th, 2021October 21, 2021 — Members of the Connecticut Audubon Society elected four new members of the Board of Directors at the organization’s annual meeting today. They also elected a slate of officers to lead the organization.
Public hearing and comment period set for the National Estuarine Research Reserve
Tuesday, September 28th, 2021September 28, 2021 — The federal government has scheduled a public meeting and is taking formal comments on the new environmental impact statement for the proposed National Estuarine Research Reserve in southeastern Connecticut. The reserve would would encompass the Lord Cove and Great Island Wildlife Management Areas in Old Lyme, and Bluff Point and Haley Farm—some of the best wildlife habitat on the Connecticut River estuary and in southeastern Connecticut.
Annual Meeting 2021
Wednesday, September 22nd, 2021September 22, 2021 — On Thursday, October 21, at 6 p.m, Connecticut Audubon members will gather on Zoom for the organization’s 2021 Annual Meeting. It promises to be a fascinating meeting, highlighted by a keynote presentation by CJ Goulding, titled “Jordans in the Great Outdoors: How You Can Gear Up to Create Change.”
Bird feeders can go back up among signs that the condition affecting birds is easing
Friday, August 20th, 2021Friday, August 20, 2021 — For those of you who have taken down your bird feeders this summer — a sincere thank you for caring about Connecticut’s birds. The good news: It’s OK to start feeding birds again. But if you decide to do so, there are still a few precautions you should heed.
Working to protect the shorebirds on the Milford Point sandbar — with your help.
Monday, August 16th, 2021In the Sanctuaries …
August 16, 2021 — For the good of the migrating shorebirds feeding and resting now at Milford Point, Connecticut Audubon has decided to schedule no group walks to the Milford Point sandbar for the rest of August. We are also asking for your help in giving the shorebirds plenty of room to feed and rest when you visit on your own.
Video: Experts discuss “Dying Birds: What we know and what we don’t know”
Saturday, August 14th, 2021August 14, 2021 — Watch the video of our Zoom discussion, “Dying Birds: What we know and what we don’t know,” recorded August 9, 2021. The discussion was designed to give you the latest information on the unidentified condition that has been killing birds in Connecticut and in many states to the south and west.
A special online presentation: “Dying Birds: What we know and what we don’t know”
Monday, August 9th, 2021August 9, 2021 — Join us Wednesday, August 11, for a special free lunchtime Zoom discussion called “Dying Birds: What we know and what we don’t know,” featuring top experts from the state of Connecticut, the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center, and the Connecticut Audubon Society. The discussion is designed to give you the latest information on the unidentified condition that has been killing birds in Connecticut and in many states to the south and west of here. Register below!
Beautiful animals that aren’t birds: Cecropia moth caterpillar
Monday, August 9th, 2021In the Sanctuaries …
Sherman, August 9, 2021 — On a routine walk at Deer Pond Farm to check on a habitat improvement project, Jim Arrigoni found a creature he had never before seen in his many years as a conservation biologist: the caterpillar of a cecropia moth.
Things you can do to help birds right now: make your windows bird-safe
Friday, August 6th, 2021August 6, 2021 — A bird doesn’t see a window as a barrier. If the window reflects the sky and trees, a bird thinks it’s flying into the sky and trees. The result is often a dead bird — lots of them. The best estimates show that up to a billion birds a year are killed when they fly into windows, walls, and other structures.
Things you can do to help birds right now: Keep your cat indoors
Thursday, August 5th, 2021August 5, 2021 — Don’t let the cat out of the house. Outdoor cats kill an estimated 1.3 – 4 billion birds in North America every year (they also kill 6.3–22.3 billion mammals annually).
Things you can do to help birds right now: Nix the pesticides
Wednesday, August 4th, 2021August 4, 2021 — Pesticides are poison, plain and simple. If you apply pesticides to your property to kill insects, you’re killing the food that Connecticut’s birds rely on. And while you might think you’re targeting mosquitoes or ticks, you’re also killing butterflies and bees of all sorts.
Things you can do to help birds right now: landscaping
Tuesday, August 3rd, 2021August 3, 2021 — Taking down your feeder now won’t be a burden for birds because there’s plenty of wild food available. Even so, there are still small things you can do in your yard that can make life easier for birds. Native plants host native insects that are in turn food for birds and other wildlife. Hundreds of species of pollinators and birds live in Connecticut. Ninety six percent of all birds rear their young on insects, and it takes a lot: 4,000 to 9,000 caterpillars, for example, to raise just one nest of baby chickadees!
3 dead birds in Connecticut show similar symptoms to dead birds elsewhere so “please don’t feed” recommendation remains
Monday, August 2nd, 2021August 2, 2021 — Please don’t put your bird feeders back up yet. The state of Connecticut reported that it has tested three dead birds, and that preliminary results suggest that the “cases match” what’s been seen in dead birds suffering from this condition elsewhere. In other words, there’s some evidence that the condition that is killing birds in southern, mid-Atlantic, and mid-western states has reached Connecticut.
Important Coastal Center law enacted in Hartford
Monday, August 2nd, 2021In the Sanctuaries…
August 2, 2021 — We are happy to be able to tell you about the success of a bill in Hartford that allows Connecticut Audubon to sign a new lease for the Milford Point Coastal Center and to continue operating that great nature sanctuary.
Here’s how to help birds while your feeders are down
Saturday, August 7th, 2021August 7, 2021 — One of the best things you can do for birds right now is to take down your bird feeder. Or if you’ve already taken it down, leave it down. Hummingbird feeders and bird baths included. The nature of the condition that has killed birds through many states, including Connecticut, is unknown but if it turns out to be infectious, minimizing the number of places where birds gather close together is prudent. There are other ways to help birds though. Here’s a list of actions we compiled in 2020. They’re even more relevant now.
Thank you for remaining vigilant about helping to halt the spread of the mystery bird-killing condition
Monday, July 26th, 2021July 26, 2021 — To everyone who has taken down their bird feeders over the last three weeks, let us offer a sincere thank you. We continue to think it is the best way to try to stop the spread of the condition that has been killing birds in southern, mid-Atlantic, and mid-western states. The condition remains unidentified. Most of the afflicted birds have been recent fledglings. Many are blinded and seem to suffer from neurological damage before they die. It’s unknown if the condition spreads from bird to bird, but if it does, this is an especially important time of year, with migration about to start.
Migration Magic Big Day 2024
Thursday, May 9th, 2024Four of Connecticut Audubon’s most energetic birders have thrown down a challenge. They’re banding together for a Migration Magic “Big Day” on Monday, May 13. Their goal is to see at least 150 species in 16 consecutive hours of birding. Their challenge is for you and all of us to support them by making a per-bird pledge!
