Connecticut Audbon Society

Blog – 2018

 

Federal funds will go toward major conservation and education improvements at the Roger Tory Peterson Estuary Center

Monday, March 25th, 2024

March 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, 2022

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.

Hot days at the cool coast for New Haven campers

Monday, August 8th, 2022

August 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, 2022

July 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, 2022

In 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, 2022

July 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, 2022

June 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, 2022

June 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.

In its 6th year, a research project expects to find big changes to the Connecticut River’s coves, with key implications for birds

Monday, June 27th, 2022

June 27, 2022 — An important source of food for ducks and geese on the Connecticut River seems to be disappearing. Field biologists think they know what’s happening. But to help them figure out how much is left and what’s replacing it, three student scientists are spending the summer on the coves of Lyme. 

Daily Bird nesting season special: Louisiana Waterthrush and Northern Waterthrush

Friday, June 24th, 2022

June 24, 2022 — These warblers are active, vociferous birds, habitual tail-waggers easily told from our array of other warbler species. Telling them apart is another matter. Habitat is a key to sorting out the waterthrushes, because their habitat preferences are quite different. Knowing their songs also helps.

Daily Bird nesting season special: Ovenbird

Thursday, June 23rd, 2022

June 23, 2022 — Ovenbirds are hard to miss. “TEAcher, TEAcher, TEAcher” rings out through the woods. Olive-backed with dark streaks and spots on the breast, Ovenbirds resemble a combination of Veery and Wood Thrush, although their orange cap gives them away if their singing has not already.

House of Representatives passes the Recovering America’s Wildlife Act

Thursday, June 23rd, 2022

June 23, 2022 — The U.S. House of Representatives has passed the Recovering America’s Wildlife Act. The bill authorizes $1.3 billion to be distributed each year to help states carry out their federally-mandated wildlife action plans. Connecticut would receive almost $12 million a year for the protection of birds and other wildlife.

Daily Bird nesting season special: Scarlet Tanager

Wednesday, June 22nd, 2022

June 22, 2022 — Scarlet Tanagers are a fairly common forest nesting bird in Connecticut. Most of the larger and many of the smaller forested areas of the state will have nesting pairs. They are mainly associated with oak forests but also look for them in other deciduous as well as mixed conifer forests.

Daily Bird nesting season special: Chimney Swift

Monday, June 20th, 2022

June 20, 2022 — Chimney Swifts are aerial insectivores with a round, cigar-shaped body and long, curved wings. They are grayish-brown overall, with a black tint around the eyes and small black bill. The cigar-shaped silhouette of the Chimney Swift is the key identification characteristic. You can also listen for the peaceful chatter sound they make as they fly around in search for food.

Daily Bird nesting season special: Clapper Rail

Friday, June 17th, 2022

June 17, 2022 — Despite its large size, Clapper Rail is not an easy bird to locate. These marsh birds are known for their elusive nature and are more often heard than seen. The grasses that make up salt marshes hide them well and provide crucial habitat for feeding and nesting.

Daily Bird nesting season special: Wood Thrush

Thursday, June 16th, 2022

Jue 16, 2022 — Now is the perfect time to hear the beautiful, flute-like call of the Wood Thrush throughout — as its name would indicate — the woods of rural Connecticut. Listen in the early morning and evening along quiet roads or paths. Follow the call and find the bird and you’ll see that it has a reddish-brown head, back, wings, and tail, and large white dark spots on a white breast and undersides.

Daily Bird nesting season special: Alder Flycatcher

Tuesday, June 14th, 2022

June 14, 2022 — A small hunter of insects, the Alder Flycatcher is one of the interesting members of the Tyrant flycatcher family. The Empidonax genus within this family is made up of nondescript dull olive individuals who are most reliably differentiated from one another by their unique songs and calls. Alder Flycatcher is very difficult to separate from Willow Flycatcher, other than by voice.

Daily Bird nesting season special: babies are scampering around Milford Point. Here’s how to help keep them safe.

Monday, June 13th, 2022

In the sanctuaries …
June 13, 2022 — So far, so good for the Piping Plovers nesting on the Milford Point sandbar. Twenty baby birds have hatched and adults are still incubating eggs on three other nests. It’s an incredibly perilous time out there for this federally-threatened species. The birds can’t fly yet and are at the mercy of storm tides and predators. Which is where you come in.

Daily Bird nesting season special: Black Skimmer

Friday, June 10th, 2022

June 10, 2022 — Black Skimmers are amazing-looking and are uncommon enough to be worth watching for. It helps if you pick the right spot. In Connecticut that’s often the Milford Point Coastal Center or Sandy Point in West Haven.

Daily Bird nesting season special: Yellow-crowned Night-Heron

Thursday, June 9th, 2022

June 9, 2022

Yellow-crowned Night-Heron
Nyctanassa violacea
Yellow-crowned Night-Herons are birds of marshes and wet meadows but are not widely distributed across the state. These waders live in or near our coastal wetlands and forage in tidal marshes, tide pools and along the shore of Long Island Sound where they feed on crustaceans, largely fiddler crabs.

 

 

 

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