The shorebirds of Connecticut are an integral part of the delicate beach ecology on the shoreline. But when the habitats the birds depend on for food, shelter, and a safe place to rear their young are the same places where people go to the beach, boat, and walk their dogs, that can result in catastrophe for the birds.

To keep the birds safe while also making sure beaches are available for recreation, the Audubon Alliance for Coastal Waterbirds’ protection program has been created. It is a combined effort of the Connecticut Department of Energy & Environmental Protection, Audubon Connecticut, the Connecticut Audubon Society, and the Roger Tory Peterson Institute of Natural History and it has been working since its inception in 2012 to train and coordinate volunteer teams to patrol and protect Connecticut beaches, tidal flats, and marshlands from April until late August. These efforts are to ensure the health and well-being of Connecticut’s population of piping plovers, American oystercatchers, least terns, and common terns.

“Really this program is about sharing our shorelines,” says Patrick Comins, Connecticut Audubon’s executive director. “Our main goal is to educate people so they are more aware of what is happening on the beaches, so they can respect the habitat of these birds and we can all enjoy the beaches together.”

Making it Safe

“Human disturbance is a huge factor for these birds who nest on the ground,” Comins says. “Sometimes their nests, eggs, and even their young get stepped on by people who simply do not know they’re there. In addition, dogs being walked on beaches without leashes pose a huge threat to these birds. We are asking that people be more respectful and aware, and share the area so it’s safe for everyone and everything.”

April is prime time for these shorebirds to begin setting up their nests in preparation for their chicks. Unfortunately, this is also prime time for area residents who have been cooped up all winter to get back out on the beaches and have some fun.

There is no reason we can’t co-exist with the birds, says Laura Saucier, a Department of Energy & Environmental Protection wildlife biologist working with the alliance.

“There are several beaches, especially in the Long Island area, that have closed during this time of year to protect these birds and their nests,” she says. “We have chosen not to do that here in Connecticut and, through our volunteers and education, we have been successful in making people more aware of the birds and protecting them.”

Piping plovers are one poignant example of that success. In 1996, there were only a recorded 22 pairs of these migratory shorebirds found in the state; in 2018, that number rose to 66 pairs.

Bird of the Beaches

The piping plover, which is federally listed as threatened, is known by some as the “bird of the beaches.” It’s a smallish bird, well camouflaged with sand-colored plumage and a black band around its neck. Hopping and darting around, it seems to constantly be on a mission of sorts, looking for something it lost.

However, what it is really looking for is food, foraging for marine worms, invertebrates, insects, and crustaceans. Endowed with a strong parental instinct, these birds will do just about anything to protect their young, even feign injury to call attention to themselves and away from their nests.

When the chicks hatch, they’re no bigger than cotton balls and, unlike other baby birds who get a few weeks of pampering and prepared food, piping plover babies get straight to work, foraging for their own meals.

“They are fascinating to watch,” says Comins. “I admire their immediate independence.”

Saucier notes that one of the reasons it’s so important to protect these birds’ habitats and make sure they are not disturbed is because if the parents are constantly on high alert, protecting their young, they have less time to forage, “which is unhealthy and stressful.”

Having an Effect

For the American oystercatcher, the story has a different narrative. As their name suggests, they eat oysters and other shellfish, using their long, narrow, orange bill, which is about twice the length of its head. Equipped with concealing markings, oystercatchers are large shorebird and are currently considered a state threatened bird. In summer 2018, the Audubon Alliance crew captured and placed numbered bands on the legs of 10 American oystercatchers, the first oystercatcher banding in the state.

Residing in the shallow waters of Long Island Sound, oystercatchers prefer to nest on mudflats and other coastal habitats. They are very vocal at this time of year, and their “peeps,” “wheeps,” and “whees” can be heard on beaches throughout the state.

Vulnerable to human disturbance and predation, oystercatchers have benefited from having areas of nesting habitat monitored and protected. Over the past seven years, since the alliance began, the number of oystercatcher breeding pairs and successfully fledged chicks in Connecticut has been on the upswing.

From the largest to the smallest—the least tern, the smallest tern, is also a state threatened bird. This swift little bird hovers over the ocean before diving like a fighter pilot into the water to extract dinner: small fish or invertebrates. They prefer to nest on sandy beaches and, once hatched, their young blend into the speckled sand with uncanny accuracy. Barely visible to the naked eye, these small chicks emulate the color of dry sand and the parents, adorned in gray and white plumage and a black helmet of feathers, watch over the tiny babies with intense protectiveness.

They Were Here First

Common terns are a species of special concern in Connecticut. These birds are a bit more streamlined than their cousin, the least tern. Common terns have longer necks, pale gray bodies, and long angular wings. They prefer to nest on rocky islands, barrier beds, and saltmarshes and forage over open waters gracefully flying about, searching feverishly for their next ocean meal. Like many seabirds, common terns have nasal glands that excrete the excess salt in the water, which enables them to drink on the fly, diving down to catch a gulp of water here and there.

According to Comins, most of the common terns in Connecticut nest on Faulkner’s Island, off of Guilford.

“We really don’t want the habitat of any of these precious birds lost just because humans can’t learn to respect them and share the beaches,” says Audubon Connecticut conservation program associate Genevieve Nuttall. “These birds were here first and we need to find a way to comfortably co-exist with them. We are not asking people to sacrifice the beaches, instead just to adapt their behavior so the birds can thrive, because they play a critical role in the ecosystem and we truly don’t know what would happen if they were lost.”

How to Help

“Volunteers in the alliance act as the liaisons between our organizations, the birds, and the beachgoers and we have had some real success in helping these birds out and cutting down on the human disturbance, so we are looking forward to continuing our efforts and hopefully we will get even more people on board with our efforts in the future,” Nuttall says.

“Watching our shorebirds is a captivating experience for many and provides people with a unique connection with nature, so conserving their habitat and protecting their nesting areas is something that most people in Connecticut want to help with,” Comins says.

For more information about the Audubon Alliance program or becoming a beach volunteer, email ctwaterbirds@gmail.com. Volunteers are asked to commit to four-hour shifts at a time. They need to patrol the beach, talk to beachgoers, request that dogs on the beach are on leashed, and ensure that the fenced-off areas protecting the nests and birds are in place and in good conditions. Currently, volunteers are needed in the eastern part of the state including Bluff Point in Groton and Hammonassett Beach State Park in Madison.