November 7, 2018 – Connecticut voters approved a Constitutional Amendment protecting Connecticut’s public lands yesterday. The Amendment requires the Connecticut General Assembly to hold a public hearing and gain a 2/3 majority vote before state-owned park, forest, wildlife management area, or farmland is sold, swapped, or given away. This means greater transparency for the public […]
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Ballot question #2 wins!
Friday, September 21st, 2018Migratory songbirds in abundance at Smith Richardson in Westport
Friday, October 19th, 2018October 19, 2018 – Amazing morning at Connecticut Audubon Society’s lower Smith Richardson Sanctuary in Westport today.
“Sharp-tailed” Sparrows
Tuesday, October 16th, 2018October 15, 2018 – Although late September through October is the prime time-frame for migratory sharp-tailed sparrows, both species may be seen well into November in Connecticut. One of the best places to look is Connecticut Audubon’s Coastal Center at Milford Point.
Press Release – Fields Pond Foundation Funds Permanent Signs Throughout the H. Smith Richardson Wildlife Sanctuary
Tuesday, October 9th, 2018October 9, 2018 – The Connecticut Audubon Society will install permanent, educational trail signs throughout the H. Smith Richardson Wildlife Sanctuary in Westport, thanks to an $8,000 grant from Fields Pond Foundation of Waltham, Massachusetts. The signs will be erected throughout one mile of planned trails in the sanctuary’s newly restored bird and wildlife habitats. […]
Roseate Spoonbill again: for your eyes only
Wednesday, October 3rd, 2018October 3, 2018 – “I kept watching and was rewarded when it untucked its head to preen. There was the spoon-shaped bill, clearly outlined against the leaves for several seconds before the bird tucked it away again.”
Our view: Congress must act on two pain-free proposals to provide funding for land and wildlife protection
Monday, October 1st, 2018February 13, 2019, update: U.S. Senate passes the Land and Water Conservation Fund. February 26, 2019 update: The House of Representatives authorized the LWCF as well. The funding is now permanent! To all who supported it and spoke in favor of it, we send a huge thank you! The Connecticut Audubon Society has actively supported […]
Long Island Sound and other New England waters get added protection for vital herring fishery
Wednesday, September 26th, 2018September 26, 2018 – A memo from Executive Director Patrick Comins about a recent decision to protect the Northeast’s herring fishery I am thrilled to report some great and unexpected news. Yesterday the New England Fishery Management Council passed Amendment 8 to the Atlantic Herring Fishery Management Plan. Having corresponded with Connecticut’s representatives on the […]
The Endangered Species Act must be saved
Tuesday, September 25th, 2018September 24, 2018 – The Endangered Species Act protects wildlife throughout the United States and its territories, and it has a direct affect on several species of bird in Connecticut. Those birds could suffer population declines if the act is weakened, as the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service proposes. Here is the letter from Executive […]
Roseate Spoonbill: autumn 2018 birding excitement in Connecticut
Wednesday, September 19th, 2018September 19, 2018 – Connecticut birders are in a tizzy over a Roseate Spoonbill that showed up near the mouth of the Housatonic River this week. It’s the third time this summer that a species new to the state has been seen.
119th Annual Meeting, October 20th, 2018
Wednesday, September 12th, 2018September 15, 2018 – The Connecticut Audubon Society is taking to the sea for its 119th Annual Meeting. If you’re a member, you’re invited! The meeting is set for 3 p.m. Saturday, October 20th, on board the Cecilia Ann, which we’ve chartered for the occasion. Following the meeting, we will take a three-hour cruise past […]
Western Kingbird in Pomfret?
Wednesday, September 12th, 2018September 12, 2018 – The flycatcher sallying forth from a fencepost in Pomfret on Sunday might well have been a Western Kingbird. Nancy Barrett, a Connecticut Audubon member who lives nearby, photographed the bird and sent the shot today to Andy Rzeznikiewicz, our sanctuary manager in eastern Connecticut. Western Kingbirds show up in Connecticut every […]
Birds from Here and There: A Fundraiser for Puerto Rican Birds
Wednesday, August 8th, 2018October 3, 2018 – Many thanks to the 100-plus people who participated in Birds from Here and There, our September 27 fundraiser in Hartford to benefit conservation in Puerto Rico in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria. The evening raised more $3,000 to go to the Puerto Rico Ornithological Society (Sociedad Ortinológica Puertorriqueña) to be used […]
Shorebird guided tour
Thursday, August 23rd, 2018August 23, 2018 – Summer on Long Island Sound’s coast is a drawn-out carnival of shorebirds. Here’s a straightforward guided tour of what we saw at the Milford Point Coastal Center on Wednesday morning, August 22.
Two new grants will bring all 375 Norwich third-graders to Connecticut Audubon for outdoor science education
Tuesday, August 21st, 2018August 21, 2018 – Every third grader in Norwich Public Schools will get the benefits of the Connecticut Audubon Society’s award-winning outdoor science education program in the 2018-19 school year, thanks to grants from two eastern Connecticut foundations. All 375 third-grade students and their teachers will participate in Connecticut Audubon’s full-day, hands-on Science in Nature […]
Black-bellied Whistling-Duck: Another Connecticut First!
Tuesday, August 14th, 2018August 14, 2018 – You may have heard by now that there is a Black-bellied Whistling-Duck in Essex! It’s quite the buzz in the birding community and if accepted by the birding powers as a wild bird, it will be a first state record.
Smith Richardson: a paradise for bugs and birds (and the people who love them)
Wednesday, August 15th, 2018August 15, 2018 – We planned the restoration of the H. Smith Richardson Wildlife Preserve in Westport to be great for birds and pollinators but even we are surprised by what has happened. With the help and generosity of Charles Stebbins, a member of our Board of Directors and one of the motivating forces behind […]
A young Osprey hatched in Bridgeport dies because of discarded fishing line and other trash
Monday, August 6th, 2018Heroic rescue effort comes up short August 6, 2018 – Almost a dozen people spent their Sunday afternoon trying to save an Osprey that was dangling from its nest, caught on fishing line on the Ash Creek salt marsh in the Black Rock section of Bridgeport, on the Fairfield border. It was a hot afternoon […]
Little Egret, by land or by sea
Saturday, August 11th, 2018August 11, 2018 – Nick Bonomo spent a fair amount of time in recent days looking for a Little Egret to make its way into Connecticut. A regular Bird Finder contributor, Nick graciously let us report the account he wrote for his blog.
Whimbrel
Thursday, August 2nd, 2018August 3, 2018 — All of Connecticut’s coastal shorebird habitat attracts Whimbrels, but the Coastal Center at Milford Point is an especially favorable place to look for them because of the way high tides concentrate shorebirds in a relatively small open area.
Press Release – Student scientists from Mount Holyoke uncover important habitat changes in the Connecticut River estuary
Monday, August 6th, 2018August 7, 2018 — The coves, inlets and backwaters of the Connecticut River estuary are among the region’s most important refuges for waterfowl during migration and through the winter. Dabbling ducks – Northern Pintail, Northern Shoveler, Mallard, Black Duck, Gadwall – gather there to find safe cover among the vegetation and to feast on the […]
