Friday, May 23, 2014

Bird-friendly celebration tips for a weekend at the beach


        
The state office of the National Audubon Society (www.AudubonCT.org)
 
TIP SHEET: Sharing Our Shores with Shorebirds
Holiday Weekend Tips for Connecticut Beach Lovers  From The National Audubon Society!
 
NEW YORK (May 23, 2014) – With the start of summer, there's no better time to help protect our Atlantic coasts and the shorebirds that visit and depend on them every year. The National Audubon Society has compiled the following guide on how to share the beach with migrating and nesting birds—the best way to share our shores for people and wildlife in Connecticut.
Simple Ways You Can Help
When people help shorebirds by sharing the beach, they are rewarded with the spectacle of wild birds including the opportunity to observe the excitement that unfolds with every nesting season. These are some simple steps you can take to help coastal birds.
  • Respect protected areas and signs. Birds, eggs, nests and chicks are well-camouflaged and disturbance by people and their pets can cause birds to abandon their eggs and young.
  • Avoid disturbing groups of birds that are nesting or feeding. If birds take flight, call loudly or act agitated it means you are too close.
  • Always aim to keep your dog on a leash and away from the birds and respect local regulations as to where dogs are not allowed. Shorebirds perceive people and pets as predators.
  • Please don't leave trash or fishing line on the beach. Take your trash with you and place in an appropriate trash container. Trash attracts real predators such as gulls, crows, raccoons and foxes. Fishing line entangles and kills birds.
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Contact
To speak with an Audubon expert on birds and birding and to find out what Audubon is doing locally, contact Agatha Szczepaniak, aszczepaniak@audubon.org, 212-979-3197 OR Patrick Comins, pcomins@audubon.org  , 860-977-4469 Shorebird photos are available upon request.
About Audubon
The National Audubon Society saves birds and their habitats throughout the Americas using science, advocacy, education and on-the-ground conservation. Audubon's state programs, such as Audubon Connecticut, include nature centers, chapters and partners that have an unparalleled wingspan reaching millions of people each year to inform, inspire and unite diverse communities in conservation action. Since 1905, Audubon's vision has been a world in which people and wildlife thrive.  Learn more at www.audubon.org and @audubonsociety.
About the Audubon Alliance for Coastal Waterbirds
The Audubon Alliance for Coastal Waterbirds is a partnership between Audubon Connecticut, and the Roger Tory Peterson Institute of Natural History and is proud to continue our active conservation, education and outreach work for a third season with our state and federal partners due in part to funding from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation's Long Island Sound Futures Fund and the generous support of people like you!
 
North America's Shorebirds
  • Every spring, more than 20 million shorebirds migrate through the United States to nest as far as the Arctic each summer, and return back to Central and South America to spend the winter.
  • Many species fly more than 15,000 miles in this long-distance intercontinental journey.
  • From sightings of tagged individuals, we know that some shorebirds on nonstop flights can cover nearly 2,000 miles in as little as two days.
  • The most endangered shorebirds along the Atlantic Coast in the continental U.S. today include the Piping Plover (federally threatened) and Red Knot (proposed for listing as federally threatened).
  • Least Terns, Common Terns, Black Skimmers and American Oystercatchers are listed in many Atlantic Coast states as threatened or special concern species.
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Chicks on the Beach:
Breeding season for most beach-nesting birds is April through the end of August. Here are nesting shorebirds to keep an eye out for on the beach.
 
Visiting Shorebirds:
Migration of shorebirds continues until June as these marathon migrants make their way to northern breeding areas.  Here are the migrating shorebirds to keep an eye out for on the beach.
 
Quotes
"Shorebirds are an indicator of the health of our coast," says Walker Golder, Audubon's North Carolina deputy state director.  "They are threatened largely because of threats to their food supply, loss of habitat, and human-caused disturbance to the habitat that these birds—and many more—require.  It is important to share the shore with shorebirds and respect their needs. Their lives depend on it."
 
"What people need to be aware of is those tiny birds scurrying along the shoreline are literally foraging for their lives. Of course, people also like beaches. But people and birds can coexist as long as adequate protection and management of the beaches is implemented. That doesn't mean completely and entirely excluding people from all beaches," adds Golder.
 
Birding Is Big Business
Nearly 85 million people in the United States observe or photograph birds, up from 21 million in 1983, according to data from the National Survey on Recreation and the Environment. (Birding Trends)
Not only do birds add the quality of life and aesthetics along the coast, their presence supports local economies through tourism. 47 million people have traveled at least a mile from home to observe wild birds or have "closely observed or tried to identify" birds at home. They spend $107 billion on trips, equipment, wild bird food and related expenditures. (Birding in the United States: A Demographic and Economic Analysis)
 
Other Resources
Thank you to Patagonia of Westport for their support of our waterbird conservation efforts in the Norwalk Islands! https://www.patagonia.com/us/store/patagonia-westport_87-post-road-east-westport-ct-06880   
Audubon relies upon the generosity of people like you who care about birds and their conservation. It's safe and easy to make a tax deductible donation to support our conservation work in Connecticut with our online donation button.  https://give.audubon.org/Giving/Page/67/1/67
Contacts:
Agatha Szczepaniak,  aszczepaniak@audubon.org, 212-979-3197
Patrick Comins, Audubon Connecticut, pcomins@audubon.org, 860-977-4469
 
Jeff Cordulack
Events & Communications Manager
203-613-8813 (cell)
 
Audubon Greenwich
613 Riversville Road
Greenwich, CT 06831
 
The Audubon Greenwich mission is to engage and educate people to conserve, restore, and enjoy nature, focusing on birds, other wildlife, and their habitats. The Audubon Center in Greenwich is also home to Audubon Connecticut, the state office of the National Audubon Society.  LEARN ABOUT OUR EDUCATION PROGRAMS, EVENTS & CAMPS ONLINE @ http://greenwich.audubon.org
 
The Audubon Connecticut mission is to further the protection of birds, other wildlife and their habitats through science, education, advocacy and conservation, for the benefit of humanity and the earth's biological diversity. We envision a Connecticut with a rich and diverse natural heritage, where there is ample habitat for birds and other wildlife, where a majority of its people appreciate and participate in their natural environment, and whose children are educated and motivated to become the conservation leaders of tomorrow.  LEARN ABOUT BIRD CONSERVATION IN CONNECTICUT @ www.audubonct.org
 
Now in its second century, Audubon connects people with birds, nature and the environment that supports us all. Our national network of community-based nature centers, chapters, scientific, education, and advocacy programs engages millions of people from all walks of life in conservation action to protect and restore the natural world. VISIT THE NATIONAL AUDUBON SOCIETY ONLINE AT www.audubon.org  AND FOLLOW @audubonsociety.
 
 
 

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