Bird Migration Film Epic Journeys Will Start 2014-2015 Programs

Shawn Carey

Each year millions of shorebirds make an amazing round-trip journey between the Northern and Southern hemisphere. Join us on September 10 when filmmaker Shawn Carey presents his documentary Epic Journeys which looks at three shorebird species — Red Knot, Piping Plover and Semipalmated Sandpiper—and the challenges these species face during each of their monumental annual treks.

Shawn Carey is a resident of Boston, MA and has been photographing birds and other wildlife for about 20 years. He’s been teaching wildlife photography for Mass Audubon for over 12 years.

Brian Kleinman

Taped entirely in Connecticut, Connecticut Reptiles takes viewers on a video adventure that shows the remarkable variety of the state’s native snakes, turtles, and lizard, and the natural places they inhabit. On October 8, naturalist Brian Kleinman will present his film with incredible insights into each animal’s unique adaptations, lifestyles and place in local landscapes. He will also bring some live reptiles.

On November 12 naturalists and photographers Barbara and Peter Rzasa will present Iceland’s Birds, Flowers and Wildlife, a slide show of several Icelandic flora and fauna that can be found while traveling Iceland’s 832-mile long Ring Road.

Peter Rzasa

Iceland is often called “The Land of Fire and Ice” because of the many volcanoes, glaciers and spectacular waterfalls that populate the country. The country is also a noted birder’s paradise famous for its population of Atlantic puffins, ptarmigan, arctic terns and other arctic birds found along Iceland’s 3,700 miles of coast. Reindeer, arctic fox, humpback whales and seals can frequently be seen while Icelandic horses can be found roaming the farmlands. 

Climate Change is a simple phrase used to describe an incredibly complex issue. Extensive research has identified changes in weather patterns and seasonal temperatures that are affecting ecosystems and communities from our backyards to the entire planet. The effect of climate change on birds could be significant. Saltmarsh sparrows nest just

Patrick Comins

above the high tide line and are already susceptible to spring tides flooding their nests. What would climate change-caused sea level rise mean to the survival of this species? On December 10, Heather Crawford will give us a look at the history of the Earth and human civilization, along with some simple science, so that we can better understand how we have come to our current situation and what kinds of decisions will need to be made as we move forward as stewards of our world.

Heather is an environmental educator who spent 14 years working with the Connecticut Sea Grant Extension Program and presenting programs on coastal ecosystems and land use impacts on water sources. She now chairs the Madison Conservation Commission and does freelance environmental education, including leading ecology field trips for local schools.

(Reprinted from September 2014 Newsletter.)

The Atlantic Flyway

Corrie Folsom-O’Keefe, Audubon Connecticut’s IBA Coordinator, reports on wintering shorebirds in the Bahamas

In Connecticut, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service began monitoring Piping Plovers in 1986 when the species first received protection under the Endangered Species Act. The CT DEEP Wildlife Division added their expertise with the passing of the Connecticut Endangered Species Act in 1989. The Audubon Alliance for Coastal Waterbirds joined the USFWS and the Wildlife Division and with the help of an amazing group of volunteers have been stewarding Piping Plovers and other beach-nesting birds along the Connecticut shoreline since 2012. Working together, staff, field technicians, and volunteers exclose nests, protecting them from predators; put up string fencing to reduce disturbance in nesting areas; and engage beachgoers and municipalities about beach-nesting species, the threats they face, and how to help. Through these efforts, the number of pairs of Piping Plover nesting in the state has slowly increased.

Protecting Piping Plover on their nesting grounds is very important to species recovery, but we also need to think about the species and the habitat it uses during migration and over the winter. Until very recently little was known about the locations used by Piping Plover in winter. The 2006 discovery of 400 Piping Plovers in the Bahamas by Audubon and the Bahamas National Trust triggered a closer look at the nation’s 700 islands and roughly 2,000 cays. During a 2011 census, researchers found over 1,000 Piping Plovers--perhaps 20% of the entire Atlantic Coast population--concentrated in one small cluster of Bahamian islands--Andros Island, the Joulter Cays (now a globally Important Bird Area), and the Berry Islands. The census filled in a huge gap in our understanding of these engaging and imperiled birds.

In January I joined National Audubon Society staff from along the Atlantic Flyway pitching in to locate additional sites important to Piping Plover and other shorebirds in the Bahamas. Traveling by flat bottom skiffs and on foot we inventoried shorebirds and other waterbirds on mudflats and along the edges of mangrove islands. 

Over the course of the five days we spend in East Grand Bahama, we were able to locate 526 Short-billed Dowitcher (possibly enough to qualify the area as a continentally Important Bird Area), 276 Least Sandpipers, 148 Semipalmated Plover, 50 Sanderling, approximately 75 Black-bellied Plover, 20 Ruddy Turnstone, 12 American Oystercatchers, between 7-14 Piping Plover, and 6 Wilson’s Plover.

The data not only increases our knowledge of shorebird wintering habitat but also will be used by the Bahamas National Trust to determine whether the area should be designated as a National Park. 

Surveying for shorebirds on their wintering grounds in East Grand Bahama was an awesome opportunity and I look forward to sharing my stories while on the beaches of Connecticut this summer.

(A longer version of this report is at goo.gl/1qnkfA.)

(Corrie will be at the March public meeting recruiting volunteers to assist with summer shorebird monitoring and spread the word about the Forest Bird Habitat Assessments that Audubon will be offering for landowners.)

(From the March, 2014 newsletter.)

The Atlantic Flyway - Long Island Sound

Preserving And Restoring Long Island Sound is an important part of Audubon’s Saving Important Bird Areas conservation strategy for the Atlantic Flyway.

Species: Saltmarsh Sparrow, Roseate Tern, Piping Plover, and other shorebirds

Habitat: Long Island Sound 

Our Work: Roughly 10 percent of the U.S. population lives within 50 miles of Long Island Sound. A vital resource for birds and people alike, this rich estuary faces intense development pressure and recreational and commercial demands. Audubon is leading an ambitious effort to improve water quality, restore vital habitats, and promote biodiversity.

Conservation Impact: National Audubon policy staff joined forces with Audubon Connecticut and Audubon New York to rally federal, state, and local lawmakers as well as other stakeholders to endorse Sound Vision, a two-year action plan to protect and restore the Sound. Developed by the Long Island Sound Citizens Advisory Committee, the plan combines new and existing restoration projects with unified legislative efforts. Science plays a key role in Audubon’s work to protect and restore the Sound.

Conservation Outlook: Audubon national and state staff, Chapters, activists, and volunteers will continue working to reduce pollution and protect and restore habitat in this vital ecosystem.

Photo: Patrick Comins

Excerpted for the Audubon Strategic Plan 2012-2015

(From the May 2013 newsletter)

The Atlantic Flyway

Roughly 10 percent of Americans live within 50 miles of Long Island Sound.  As part of the Atlantic Flyway Saving Important Bird Areas strategy Audubon is leading an ambitious effort to restore the Sound’s health in a way that supports populations of priority waterbirds and shorebirds while balancing the needs of nature and people. 

Sound Vision, a two-year action plan to protect and restore the Sound developed by the Long Island Sound Citizens Advisory Committee, combines restoration projects with unified legislative efforts. Science plays a key role in Audubon’s efforts in the Sound, exemplified by Audubon Connecticut’s work to assess breeding success and identify optimal nesting locations that will ultimately benefit American Oystercatchers, Piping Plovers, Saltmarsh Sparrows, Roseate Terns, and other priority bird species.

(From the March 2013 Newsletter)