The Atlantic Flyway

Saving Important Bird Areas

Audubon’s Important Bird Areas (IBA) Program is a global effort to identify and protect habitat that will protect sustainable populations of birds. The IBA Program is built around an adaptable, science-based blueprint that allows Audubon and other conservation partners to make sound conservation decisions in the face of considerable uncertainty from the changing climate, the economy, and gaps in our knowledge of the abundance and distribution of our highest priority species.

Breeding roseate terns are the principal reason for Falkner Island’s IBA status. (Patrick Comins)

Connecticut’s IBA Program strives to complement the conservation programs of our state, federal, and non-profit partners. By connecting people with nature, working with land stewards to develop conservation strategies, and supporting implementation of these plans at a local level, the IBA Program fills an important niche in statewide conservation efforts by working to protect areas that aren’t easily protected under other conservation programs.

Connecticut currently has 27 publicly announced IBAs and is working to announce additional sites in the future. IBAs in the Menunkatuck Chapter area are East Rock Park, New Haven; Falkner Island Unit of McKinney NWR, Guilford; Hammonasset Beach State Park, Madison; Lighthouse Point Park, New Haven; Quinnipiac River Tidal Marsh, North Haven, New Haven, Hamden; and Sandy Point, West Haven. Several other sites are under review as additional IBAs.

(From the July 2014 Newsletter.)