Members of Audubon Connecticut will be out on beaches along the state’s shore during fireworks displays to ensure beach-nesting bird species are protected.
Audubon Connecticut is a state office of the National Audubon Society. The agency’s mission is to protect birds and their habitats, while also educating the public about nesting.
The species being focused on are the piping plover, which is federally threatened; the American oystercatcher, which is state threatened; the least tern, which is also state threatened; and the common tern, which is a state species of special concern.
“All four are nesting right on our shoreline,” said Corrie Folsom-O’Keefe, director of bird conservation for Audubon Connecticut. “These are birds that are literally nesting just on the ground. Their eggs are really camouflaged, too. You could be standing right next to one and never realize.”
Folsom-O’Keefe said residents in Connecticut are having a major impact on these species.
“These birds are declining,” she said. “They’re nesting in a habitat that is pretty limited because our shorelines are very developed and then there’s human interference.”
In the spring, volunteers set up string fencing around the nesting areas so people know the areas to avoid on the beach. Then, by the first week of July, there are volunteers out on beaches in Milford, Stratford and West Haven to keep an eye on the birds during fireworks.
On Sandy Point Beach in West Haven, a section of the beach gets closed during the fireworks, she said. If that didn’t happen, she said, there would be a “high chance of chick mortality.” She said the same goes for Milford Point in Milford.
Over in Stratford, Short Beach...
from News https://www.ctpost.com/local/article/CT-Audubon-to-patrol-beaches-during-firework-14056657.php
No comments:
Post a Comment