The Coastal Center
at Milford Point
Coastal Center at Milford Point
Building Hours & Admission
- Monday: Closed
- Tuesday - Friday: 10am - 4pm
- Saturday: 10am - 1pm
- Sunday: 12pm - 4pm
- Sanctuary open dawn to dusk year round
On This Page
Overview
The Coastal Center at Milford Point is located on an 8.4-acre barrier beach, next to the 840-acre Charles E. Wheeler Salt Marsh and Wildlife Management Area, at the mouth of the Housatonic River. It is a bird-watcher’s paradise: Over 300 species have been seen here, including many rarities.
We offer a full range of educational programs for all ages. The center provides educational exhibits, a tide pool demonstration tank, and program and meeting rooms. Visitors have access to Long Island Sound and to tidal marshes, barrier beaches, tide pools, and coastal dunes.
The Coastal Center’s grounds encompass the Smith-Hubbell Wildlife Refuge, a boardwalk, and four observation platforms, including a 70-foot covered tower for panoramic vistas.
At a Glance
- 8 acres of land, 840 acres of salt marsh
- 321 bird species
- Long Island Sound demonstration tank
- Observation tower and viewing platforms
- Air quality monitoring
Habitat
Coastal forest surrounded by sand dunes, a salt marsh, and barrier beach.
About Our Center
The Coastal Center promotes the awareness and preservation of Long Island Sound’s ecosystem, and the birds and habitats it supports. It features live education animals, panoramic saltmarsh views, and a Nature Store with a variety of bird- and nature-themed gifts, many from small businesses and local artists.
The building includes bathrooms, a handicap access ramp, and spotting scopes to watch birds from within the building. Viewers from around the world also watch the center’s Osprey Cam, operated from an 18-foot tall nesting platform, and the Purple Martin Cam, featuring a look inside their nesting gourds.
Smith-Hubbell Wildlife Refuge
Surrounded by the McKinney National Fish and Wildlife Refuge, the Charles E. Wheeler Tidal Marsh, and Long Island Sound, this 8-acre wildlife refuge encompasses the grounds of the Coastal Center and acts as a haven for wildlife at the edge of a developed coastline.
The refuge is at the intersection of tidal marsh, sand dune, beach, and woodland habitats. This allows shelter for just about every bird in Connecticut, from migrating warblers and hummingbirds to Bald Eagles and Peregrine Falcons, along with a host of other wildlife. For visitors, there’s a short boardwalk through the dunes to the beach and sandbar, and two short loop trails through the woods. The terrain is generally level although footing on the sandbar can be tricky depending on the tide.
Some points of interest include a thriving Purple Martin colony, where you can see dozens of these insect-eating birds coming and going through the warm months, a manmade circulating waterfall providing freshwater to all animals on Milford Point, and a pollinator garden featuring native plants to attract hummingbirds and insects.
Looking out at the Charles E. Wheeler Salt Marsh, which covers 625 acres of Spartina grasses, mudflats, and tidal channels, you'll see Great Egrets, Snowy Egrets, Black-crowned Night Herons, Brant, ducks of several species, and shorebirds by the thousands sometimes feed and rest in the marsh.
If heading out to the sandbar, follow the path to the boardwalk through the dunes. Look for prickly pear, Connecticut’s only native cactus, and beach plum. Seaside goldenrod blooms in profusion in September and October. Scores of monarch butterflies feed on the goldenrod as they migrate. A lip of salt marsh forms the edge of the tidal lagoon. Beyond, the sandbar extends far towards the mouth of the Housatonic, its surface crunching underfoot from the shells of millions of oysters, clams, whelks, and slipper shells.
Connecticut Audubon is a participant in the Audubon Alliance for Coastal Waterbirds. Working under the auspices of the CT DEEP, the Alliance uses a large team of volunteers and staff to protect the nesting areas of vulnerable beach-nesting birds throughout the state. Thanks to their help, the Milford Point sandbar is one of the most successful Piping Plover nest sites in the state.
This sanctuary is owned by the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection and is operated and managed by the Connecticut Audubon Society.
Wildlife
Birds
Over 300 species of birds have been observed at Milford Point, owing to the variety of habitat types (marsh, beach, and coastal forest) found here. In the spring and summer, the sandbar hosts breeding Piping Plover, American Oystercatcher, and Least Tern, and flocks of shorebirds use the sandbar as a stopover point during migration.
In winter, numerous species of ducks, grebes, loons, and gulls can be seen on Long Island Sound, while flocks of Horned Larks and Snow Buntings are a common sight on the sandbar.
The coastal forest hosts nesting and migrating species—over 29 species of warbler and 20 kinds of finch, sparrow, and bunting can be found across the habitats. The Wheeler salt marsh can be easily viewed from observation points on the grounds for excellent views of dabbling ducks, herons, egrets, Northern Harriers and many other raptors.
Visitors in the spring and summer can also expect to enjoy views of nearby nesting Osprey and Purple Martins.
Other Wildlife
Other species recorded at Milford Point include diamondback terrapin, groundhog, white-tailed deer, eastern cottontails, red fox, skunk, coyote, raccoon, and southern flying squirrel.
Trail Etiquette
Walkers and birders welcome on designated trails only, visitors entering fenced off nesting shorebird areas will be reported to state police Encon officers.
Sanctuary open dawn to dusk
For the protection of our wildlife,
the following are prohibited on all areas of the sanctuary:
- Dogs, horses, bicycles
- Motorized vehicles (excluding parking lot) or Drones
- Hunting and Trapping
- Collecting of any kind
- Littering, Camping, or Fires
- Alcoholic Beverages
- Sunbathing and Picnicking
Activities
