Join us for this special webinar celebrating the launch of Lights Out Connecticut’s new educational tool, a 5-day lesson plan for Connecticut middle-school science classrooms to promote learning on light pollution and its impacts on migratory birds. In the lesson plan, students learn about how and why birds migrate through Connecticut, discover how human development can negatively impact migratory birds during migration, and help come up with solutions. Written by Catherine Ferreri, a Connecticut middle-school educator, the learning module equips science students with age-appropriate information and critical thinking skills to answer questions like—why do birds migrate, what species of birds migrate near me, what kinds of foods do they eat during migration, and why are migratory birds an important part of ecosystems? The launch is specially timed for the start of fall bird migration in Connecticut on August 15. Our hope is that this educational resource, which meets  Next Generation Science Standards, will foster greater appreciation and care for migratory birds and the night sky by young people and local communities in Connecticut. This project was funded by the Hartford Audubon Society and individual donations to Lights Out Connecticut. 

Format: Interview with Catherine Ferreri, lesson plan author and science teacher at Coleytown Middle School in Westport, CT; and Meredith Barges, lesson plan co-developer and co-chair of Lights Out Connecticut.

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Climate change is a global phenomenon that is negatively impacting ecosystems around the world. Urban areas, and urban forests specifically, experience these negative impacts especially acutely. While urban forests and trees in cities are vulnerable to the impacts of climate change they are also capable of mitigating climate change and helping to offset its negative impacts.

In this talk, Dr. Danica Doroski, State Urban Forestry Coordinator for Connecticut will explain how climate change impacts trees and forests within the urban matrix, how these urban trees and forests can in turn help to offset climate change and discuss what this means for the management of Connecticut’s urban forests and beyond.

Danica had been working in urban forestry and related fields for the past 10 years as a horticulturalist at the Morris Arboretum in Philadelphia, PA, Volunteer Coordinator for the New York Restoration Project in New York City, NY, Outreach Coordinator for the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation, and most recently as Statue Urban Forestry Coordinator with Connecticut’s Department of Energy and Environmental Protection. She holds a BA from Bates College in Maine, a MFS from the Yale School of the Environment, and a PhD from the Yale School of the Environment.

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For a relatively small state, Connecticut is blessed with two of the nation's largest and most biologically significant estuaries — places where salty ocean water mixes with freshwater. The Connecticut River and Long Island Sound estuaries are two of the planet's most productive ecosystems, and these are no hidden treasures. International groups have long recognized the wildlife riches of our region, as we've seen in the recent Federal designation of parts of our coast and rivers within the new National Estuarine Research Reserve (NERR).

The lower Connecticut River is the most pristine large-river tidal marsh system in the Northeast, thanks mainly to the lack of a major port at or near its mouth. Constantly shifting sandbars and sediment reefs have always made the lower Connecticut River a difficult place for larger ships. The lack of an urban, industrialized port has preserved the unspoiled rural character of the landscape around the river and protected its many brackish and freshwater environments.

In addition to hosting large populations of migratory waterfowl, the rich tidal marshes of the Connecticut are home to several rare, threatened, or endangered species, including the Bald Eagle, Shortnose Sturgeon, Puritan Tiger Beetle, and the tiny, beach-nesting Piping Plover and Least Tern. This talk will look at some of the glories of our local shore and river wildlife, and the likely impact of human activity and climate change on the Sound and the River.

Naturalist Patrick J. Lynch spent years researching the Connecticut River for his new book A Field Guide to the Connecticut River: From New Hampshire to Long Island Sound. The book offers an expansive guide to this majestic region with more than 750 original maps, photographs, and illustrations. Organized around environments rather than particular locations, the book includes geological overviews and descriptions of common plants and animals. Lynch also explains the landscape’s environmental history as well as the effects of centuries of human interventions and the growing fallout from climate change.

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Once considered a wasted resource and a hazard in forest landscapes, dead trees and logs are now known to be valuable and essential parts of a healthy forest ecosystem.  Join Margery Winters of the Roaring Brook Nature Center to learn how they provide habitat and food for many terrestrial and aquatic species, act as seedbeds for new trees, and serve as a source of water, energy, carbon, and nutrients for the entire forest.

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Vultures are often overlooked, under-appreciated, and unloved, despite the vital roles they play in healthy ecosystems. Worldwide, vultures are primarily scavengers; they can help stop the spread of disease by quickly and efficiently removing dead animals from the landscape. Unfortunately, due to poisoning, direct persecution, habitat loss, and other threats, vultures are more likely to be threatened or endangered than any other group of raptors. But in the Western Hemisphere, Turkey and Black Vultures counter this trend and are increasing in number.

Based on Katie Fallon’s recent book, this fun presentation will explore the life and times of the noble Turkey Vulture, including its feeding, nesting, and roosting habits, migratory behaviors, and common misconceptions. Katie will also discuss what it’s like to be up-close-and-personal with Turkey and Black Vultures through her work with the Avian Conservation Center of Appalachia.

Katie Fallon is the author of the nonfiction books Vulture: The Private Life of an Unloved Bird (2020, 2017) and Cerulean Blues: A Personal Search for a Vanishing Songbird (2011), as well as two books for children. She is a founder of the Avian Conservation Center of Appalachia, a nonprofit organization dedicated to conserving the region’s wild birds through research, education, and rehabilitation, and has served as President of the Mountaineer Chapter of the National Audubon Society. A member of the International Association of Avian Trainers and Educators, Katie has worked with birds since 1998; over the last twenty years she has given educational presentations featuring live raptors, vultures, parrots, and corvids. She is also a columnist for Bird Watcher’s Digest and has taught writing at West Virginia University, Virginia Tech, and elsewhere. Her first word was “bird.” For more: www.katiefallon.com.

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Presented by Meredith Barges, Co-Chair of Lights Out Connecticut, bird-friendly building advocate, and former policy researcher at the Yale Bird-Friendly Building Initiative. Through her work, Meredith helps people to understand and appreciate the complex lives of birds, how birds interact with the built environment, and how our decisions about buildings, lighting, and landscaping affect bird populations. She helped to lead the successful campaign to pass Connecticut's new lights out law, Public Act 23-143, in 2023. She also co-authored Building Safer Cities for Birds: How Cities Are Leading the Way on Bird-Friendly Building Policy (American Bird Conservancy & Yale Law School, 2023).

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Native plants and other things birds look for in the landscape, and why they need to be there.

Many property owners and landscapers want to help the planet by adding Native plants to their managed landscapes, but there can be some concern – certain Native plants can look downright sloppy, which makes some of our two-legged neighbors rather unhappy. Then again, it really doesn't have to be that way. If well-mannered native plants with excellent habitat services are chosen, we can have both esthetically pleasing properties, and excellent environmental services

Sadly, because of habitat loss, climate change and other issues, which are covered in the presentation, our wildlife numbers are in steep decline. By using our landscapes, we can help our wild aerial and terrestrial neighbors increase their numbers. Becoming a good environmental steward by designing and installing eco-friendly, attractive, environmentally functional landscapes can help restore balance and create safe harbors for wildlife in otherwise sterile locations. By blending aesthetics and ecology, with thoughtful consideration toward plant selection, habitat factors and gardening practices, landscapes that are both attractive and environmentally functional can be created. Please bring any questions, your curiosity, and an open mind.

Topics covered:

• The necessity for native plant usage

• Ecosystem services that plants provide

• The importance of choosing plants with excellent ecosystem value

• Healthy an sustainable landscape practices – how to handle issues until nature balances them

• Steps for the Future: Creating habitat, education, outreach, and advocacy

Joyann Cirigliano is Senior Coordinator of Bird-friendly Communities at the Theodore Roosevelt Sanctuary and Audubon Center, and is a Certified Nursery and Landscape Professional and a Certified Wildlife Landscaping Professional. She is past president of Four Harbors Audubon Society on Long Island.

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Connecticut salt marshes have suffered losses of 27% since 1900 and continue to decline despite that passage of tidal wetland legislation in the 1970’s. Along the densely-populated Connecticut shoreline, these habitats are squeezed by rising seas on one side and development (homes, seawalls, roadways, and other hard structures) that prevent marshes from migrating landward.

The impacts of these losses are many and growing. Saltmarsh Sparrow populations have declined by over 80%, and may go extinct in our lifetime. Unhealthy marshes will no longer provide important buffers for local communities against major storms. Before it's too late for birds and people, Audubon and partners across the coast are taking action on-the-ground. 

In this presentation, Corrie Folsom-O’Keefe, director of conservation for Audubon Connecticut, will describe three projects on which Audubon is working to implement strategies that will increase the resilience and slow the loss of current salt marsh and associated species, and facilitate the effective transition of upland habitats to functional tidal marsh.

The three marshes are Guilford’s East River Marsh, Great Meadows Marsh in Stratford, and the newest at Hammonasset Beach State Park in Madison. Each marsh has unique characteristics that require different strategies for restoration. Corrie will outline the strategies and explain how the ways they work to restore the marshes to provide improved ecosystem services.

Corrie Folsom-O’Keefe is the Director of Bird Conservation for Audubon Connecticut, the state office of the National Audubon Society. In this position she oversees Audubon’s on the ground coastal stewardship and resilience efforts. Corrie leads the Audubon Alliance for Coastal Waterbirds, which assists the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection’s Wildlife Division with the management of the Piping Plover and other beach-nesting birds. She also co-leads the WildLife Guards and Salt Marsh Stewards programs which educates, mentors, and employs Bridgeport, West Haven, and Stratford high school students as coastal bird stewards. 

Corrie completed her master’s degree at Connecticut College. She has conducted field work involving birds in Belize, the Bahamas, Nova Scotia, the Farallon Islands, and Connecticut; gained significant experience as an educator while employed at The Children’s Museum; and enjoys flying airplanes and playing mandolin in the bluegrass band, Sperry Creek. 

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Think of this presentation as the her-story of birding.

Join Bird Diva Bridget Butler as she shares the lost legacy of women in ornithology and the celebration of noticing female birds. Let’s face it: there’s a bit of bias in the birding world when it comes to females. Bridget breaks down this bias by looking at current research on gender and birding, retelling the stories of the Mothers of Ornithology, and making the connection to the current science on female birds. You'll be surprised by what has been forgotten and how we can change the narrative moving forward to better support both the birding community and conservation!

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In 2019 Audubon released its scientific report, Survival by Degrees: 389 Species on the Brink. Audubon scientists took advantage of 140 million observations, recorded by birders and scientists, to describe where 604 North American bird species live today—an area known as their “range.” They then used the latest climate models to project how each species’s range will shift as climate change and other human impacts advance across the continent.

The results are clear: Birds will be forced to relocate to find favorable homes. And they may not survive.

Also in 2019, Science published a report that showed the total breeding bird population in the continental U.S. and Canada has dropped by 29 percent since 1970. That percent represents almost 3 billion birds lost.

What to do?

Over the past year, Audubon has crafted an exciting new five-year strategic plan. The aptly named Flight Plan focuses on three core strategic drivers:  a hemispheric approach to bird conservation, finding climate crisis solutions, and ensuring all people feel included and empowered in the movement to protect birds.

in this presentation, Mike Burger, Executive Director of Audubon Connecticut/New York, will describe how the Audubon staff, Chapters, Board, and members, are positioned to inspire, influence, innovate, and achieve results at unprecedented scale. The Strategic Plan orients all of Audubon toward achieving a singular goal of Bending the Bird Curve: halting, and ultimately reversing, the precipitous decline of birds across the Americas.

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This year the Connecticut State Legislature is meeting in a “short session”. Audubon has several areas in which legislation is sought to protect birds and the places they need. Among these are legislation regarding:

• Adding additional regulation on the use of anticoagulant rodenticide poisons which cause the death of raptors that eat poisoned rodents

• Regulating neonicotinoids for non-agricultural use

• Protecting vulnerable communities from climate change by supporting urban forestry and community interest in tree planting and maintenance, parks, and/or community gardens in densely populated areas

Join us as we host Robert LaFrance, Director of Policy for Audubon Connecticut, for a discussion of these and other legislative initiatives and learn what you can do to help getting them passed. Rob had a long career with DEEP as its legislative liaison and brings long relationships with legislators to Audubon.

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As birders and wildlife enthusiasts, we can't help but marvel at large gatherings of birds. Many bird species spend time in flocks that can range in size from just a few birds to tens of thousands, even millions. Flocks of birds, whether they be in the air or on the ground, can offer a magnificent spectacle. Gina Nichols’ presentation asks the question, why do birds form flocks? It explores the phenomenon of bird gatherings with vivid photographs, anecdotes and video clips and delves into the intriguing dynamics of assemblies of birds. The choreography of mass movements such as starling murmurations is examined and the benefits of flocking behavior are examined as they relate to breeding, protection, and even avian baby sitting services. The advantages and disadvantages of flocking are discussed and collective names used to identify groups of birds are presented.

A naturalist and birder for more than thirty years, Gina first became fascinated with the natural world in rural upstate New York where she spent most of her childhood out of doors. In 2005, Gina founded Sunrise Birding, LLC to offer personalized, authentic, affordable private and small group bird watching and wildlife tours around the world.

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We've got a fun-filled evening set for this Community Program with a view of some members' photos, a bird quiz, and more.

Between the photo shows we will have a bird quiz. How well do you know the size of birds? How about bird name anagrams? Can you id birds from blurred photos? Don't worry. There are no exotic birds, just common backyard and park birds. Have a competition with your family.

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In the U.S., over 80% of eastern forests and grasslands as well as 80% of lands in New England are privately held, necessitating innovative partnerships between conservationists and private landowners to conserve biodiversity. One such partnership in New England is the Northeast Bird Habitat Conservation Initiative (NBHCI), a collaborative effort between The Regional Conservation Partnership (RCP) Network, Audubon groups, Highstead, and the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. 

In this presentation Katie Blake will give an overview of the NBHCI and highlight collaborative conservation partnership projects between Audubon groups, conservation practitioners, land trusts, and RCPs working together on forestry and grassland restoration projects in Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maine, and Vermont. The presentation will also share relevant resources and information developed to aid local conservation and engagement efforts, like that of the Menunkatuck Audubon Society.

Katie Blake is a conservationist with Highstead, a regional conservation and ecological stewardship non-profit based in Redding, Connecticut. Katie supports RCPs across the Northeast and eastern New York in their efforts to increase the pace and scale of conservation. Before joining Highstead, Katie managed urban bird initiatives for Audubon Connecticut, where she led the New Haven Harbor Watershed Urban Wildlife Refuge Partnership.

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Postponed until Tuesday, December 12.

Are anticoagulant rat poisons the new DDT?

Birds of prey are a diverse group of birds that includes eagles, hawks, falcons, and owls. They play a crucial role in maintaining the balance of ecosystems by controlling populations of rodents and other small mammals.

Rodenticides, on the other hand, are chemical substances used to control rodent populations. These substances are designed to kill or control rodents such as rats and mice. However, the use of rodenticides can have unintended consequences for raptors and other wildlife.

Raptors can be indirectly affected by rodenticides when they consume rodents that have ingested these chemicals. This is known as secondary poisoning. The toxic compounds present in rodenticides can accumulate in the bodies of rodents, making them harmful or even lethal to raptors that prey on them.

The impact of rodenticides on raptors can be severe, leading to reduced breeding success, impaired immune systems, and even death. Bird rehabilitators like A Place Called Hope have seen increased numbers of poisoned hawks and owls with most dying horrible deaths.

Join Christine Cummings, Director of A Place Called Hope, as she explains the far-reaching, and often devastating, effects that rodenticides are having on our wildlife and discusses the safe alternative options available. This presentation will explore what anticoagulant rodenticides are, how they are applied, and the consequences of relying on poisons for the management of nuisance rodents. Learn how to recognize secondary poisoning and what is necessary to proceed with treatment. The presentation will also explore the importance of studies to support the efforts to have these products banned in Connecticut and what each of us can do to promote a Bill that would Act to Prohibit the Use and Sale of Second-Generation Anticoagulants statewide.

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Author Heather Wolf will be with us discussing her new book Find More Birds: 111 Surprising Ways to Spot Birds Wherever You Are. It will be a fascinating conversation about being in the moment and noticing the wonderful and varied birds around us.

Find More Birds is a gorgeously photographed trove of 111 ingenious tips for seeing more birds wherever you are—from crowd favorites (hummingbirds, owls, eagles) to species you’ve never spotted before.

Seeing more birds than you ever imagined and witnessing exciting avian drama is possible—whether you’re on the go or in your own neighborhood, local park, or backyard. As Heather Wolf explains, it all comes down to how you tune in to the show happening around you, the one in which birds—highly skilled at staying under the radar—are the stars. In Find More Birds, Heather shares her very best tactics—and the jaw-dropping photographs they helped her capture.

• Look for birds at their favorite “restaurants”— from leaf litter to berry bushes, and ball fields to small patches of mud.

• Watch for “tree bark” that moves . . . you may find it has feathers.

• Try simply sitting on the ground for a revealing new perspective.

Plus, special tips point the way to crowd favorites such as hummingbirds, owls, and eagles—and can’t-miss bird behaviors. As your senses sharpen and “noticing” becomes second nature, Find More Birds will turn your daily routines into bird-finding adventures, too. Whether you’re strolling down the block or parking your car, you never know what will surprise you next!

Heather Wolf is a Brooklyn-based birder, photographer, and educator, she works with the Cornell Lab of Ornithology as a web developer, teaches birding classes at Brooklyn Botanic Garden, and gives walks and talks for various organizations in New York City and beyond. In 2021 Heather presented her previous book, Birding at the Bridge, for Menunkatuck.

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In the 2023 session the Connecticut State General Assembly  and the Governor took a major step to protect migratory birds in Connecticut by passing and signing the “Lights Out Bill” (Act 23-143). This bill  which requires that State building turn off unnecessary lighting between 11 pm and 6 am, moved unanimously through the Environment Committee, the Connecticut House of Representatives, and the Connecticut Senate. There are two big reasons why it passed so easily: your advocacy efforts AND this bill is a great piece of legislation. 

However, this is just a start.

Millions of birds pass through Connecticut every spring and fall on their way to and from their summer nesting grounds. Because our state is located along the Atlantic Flyway, many birds use our shorelines and green spaces to rest and refuel during their trip.

Most migrating birds pass through Connecticut at night. Generally, nighttime hours are calmer and safer for migrants. Temperatures are cooler, skies are less turbulent, and predators are less active. Landing at daybreak allows for optimal foraging, as insects become active. And many scientists believe that birds navigate by the light of the moon and stars.

But light pollution has wreaked havoc on our night sky. Artificial light emitted by buildings, street lights, bridges, and other structures can confuse and disorient birds, causing them to land near buildings, crash into windows, and/or circle around for hours until they drop from exhaustion. This can be made worse by weather patterns that force them to fly lower, closer to buildings. 

The result is catastrophic: Nearly 1 billion bird deaths in North America each year.

The “Lights Out Bill” only applies to state-owned buildings and does not go far enough to darken our night skies. We need city and state policies that apply to ALL buildings and homes, not just state-owned buildings. The Lights Out Connecticut bill’s great strength is that it serves as a strong example for towns, cities, business owners, universities, building owners, and families to shut off their non-essential lights for the birds and to save money. It shows massive popular support for rules that can tackle light pollution, biodiversity loss, and climate change in one law.

Our next step is to take the state’s example to the local level. We need grassroots efforts in all 169 towns and cities in Connecticut to make dimming lights effective at saving birds.

Join Craig Repasz and Meredith Barges to learn more about the problem of light pollution, its affect on birds and other wildlife, and what we can do to continue the progress made so far by organizing local Lights Out initiatives.

Craig is co-chair of Menunkatuck’s Lights Out! Connecticut program. He has been the volunteer coordinator for the Connecticut Bird Atlas. He is also the President of the Friends of Stewart B McKinney NWR, an organization devoted to supporting this important refuge. He enjoys backpacking and conducts Mountain Birdwatch surveys for the Vermont Center of Ecostudies, focusing on the Bicknell’s Thrush and other high elevation species.

Meredith is the other co-chair and is an MDiv candidate at Yale Divinity School finding new ways to support healthy communities through greater care for wildlife and our one Earth home. Currently, she is a policy researcher for the Yale Bird-Friendly Building Initiative, which aims to accelerate the adoption of bird-friendly building policies. She helped to convince Yale Divinity School to join Lights Out in 2021. She is also the recipient of a LEAP grant from the Yale Law School to help make Yale University more bird friendly. In her spare time, she birds in nearby East Rock Park and paints watercolors of birds. Her favorite bird is the Black-Throated Blue Warbler.

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Have you ever wondered, What is the difference between a reptile and an amphibian? In most places they are listed together but with live examples we see the differences.

Ranger Russ Miller from Meigs Point Nature Center at Hammonasset Beach State Park will give you an up close look at toads, frogs, snakes and turtles.

See for yourself how different they are.

Each year, large numbers and varieties of shorebirds and seabirds travel along the Atlantic of North America. These birds spend their winters in the southern US, Caribbean, and South American, then head north in the spring to breeding ground in the United States and Canada. In late summer, these travelers, joined by the young of the year, begin the return trip to warmer climates. Beaches, islands, and inland lakes and rivers provide valuable winter, stopover, and breeding habitat.

Join Corrie Folsom-O’Keefe for this presentation during which participants will learn about some of these amazing migrants, the threats that they face annually, and management activities and programs that Audubon and partners have pioneered to reduce these threats. We will finish up with actions that you can take while visiting coastal habitats this summer that can help these beautiful birds reach their destinations and successfully raise their young.

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One of the most satisfying aspects of bird watching is getting a good close view of a wild bird, one that allows you to study plumage features, observe behavior or simply enjoy the aesthetic experience. Try as we may, getting close to birds is not so easy. Binoculars and spotting scopes help and most birders know not to wear white in the field but what are some other ways to improve your chances of getting a prolonged, satisfying view of a bird?

In this program Gina Nichol will focus on "Fieldcraft," the field practices and specialist skills for observing birds at close range. Techniques intended to advance birding proficiency and get those killer views will be revealed with the goal of raising gratification and lowering frustration that can accompany our favorite pursuit.

A naturalist and birder for more than thirty years, Gina first became fascinated with the natural world in rural upstate New York where she spent most of her childhood out of doors. In 2005, Gina founded Sunrise Birding, LLC to offer personalized, authentic, affordable private and small group bird watching and wildlife tours around the world.

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Menunkatuck President Dennis Riordan will take you on a visit to the UrbanScapes Native Plant Nursery.

• Meet the young people working at UrbanScapes.

• See what they do to prepare the plants we sell.

• Discover the other activities in which they participate.

• Learn about the plants that we are growing and their beneficial characteristics.

• Find out what summer activities will be taking place at the nursery and where UrbanScapes will be visiting during the summer.

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A garden filled with the peeps, trills, quacks, or croaks from our native frogs and toads is one of the fastest ways to judge the health of your local ecosystem. Join Margery Winters of the Roaring Brook Nature Center to learn how to garden to help the amphibian populations in your yard and beyond.

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Long-time Menunkatuck member Dr Jeffrey A. Spendelow has been studying Roseate Terns (ROST) (Sterna dougallii) since he helped  start the Falkner Island Tern Project (FITP) in 1978. In 1981 changed the focus of the project to concentrate on Roseate Tern research due to concerns about the declining North Atlantic breeding population of this species. 

Roseate Terns (ROST) (Sterna dougallii) can be found on the coasts of six continents. In North America they are found mainly in the northeast and sparsely in Florida where they breed on offshore islands. The population that breeds the the northeast nests from as far north as Country Island in northern Nova Scotia, to as far southwest as Falkner Island, CT. While the worldwide ROST population is stable, this northwest Atlantic population is endangered.

Since 1987 the Cooperative Roseate Tern Metapopulation Project (CRTMP) has been integrating results of several research studies to evaluate the relative importance of current factors and future threats that may limit population recovery.

While it has long been known that after nesting is over ROSTs come to staging sites in the “Cape and Islands” area of southeastern MA to prepare for their migration to wintering areas off the north and east coasts of South America, research confirms that roughly 75-90% of all the young terns from Connecticut to Nova Scotia become highly concentrated at a few staging sites around the greater Cape Cod area from August-September and that Cape Cod National Seashore has staging sites of previously unrecognized importance.

This research is of particular importance because the ROSTs migration route is directly over the Atlantic Ocean to to their wintering areas. In this path are areas that are possible threats to this species from the construction and operation of offshore wind-energy turbines in the MA-RI-NY-CT area.
Jeff’s presentation will highlight the results of some recent research and discuss future research needs. The program will begin with “Young of the Year” an award-winning short documentary film by Kris Holodak which shows the challenges faced by Roseate Terns during the period from hatching through the pre-migratory staging period until they leave North America in the late summer/early fall followed by a PowerPoint presentation that will go into more detail about the current research he and his team are doing at the pre-migratory staging sites.

After more than 35 years of working for the U.S. government, Jeff officially retired at the end of 2018 to become an Emeritus Research Wildlife Biologist with the U.S. Geological Survey. Jeff, however, continues to conduct research on the endangered NW Atlantic breeding population of Roseate Terns (ROSTs) and to direct the (CRTMP.

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We've got a fun-filled evening set for this Community Program with a view of some members' photos, a bird quiz, and more.

Between the photo shows we will have a bird quiz. How well do you know the size of birds? How about bird name anagrams? Can you id birds from blurred photos? Don't worry. There are no exotic birds, just common backyard and park birds. Have a competition with your family.

.Register to get the Zoom link.

This year the Connecticut State Legislature is meeting in a “long session” which allows for time to be devoted to considering more legislation than in “short session” years. Audubon has several areas in which legislation is sought to protect birds and the places they need. Among these are legislation regarding

• Light pollution during spring and fall migration

• Further protecting beach nesting birds from human disturbance

• Adding additional regulation on the use of anticoagulant rodenticide poisons which cause the death of raptors that eat poisoned rodents

• Establishing state-wide prohibition on the take of horseshoe crabs with a exception for research and bleeding

• Protecting vulnerable communities from climate change by supporting urban forestry and community interest in tree planting and maintenance, parks, and/or community gardens in densely populated areas

Join us as we host Robert LaFrance, Director of Policy for Audubon Connecticut, for a discussion of these and other legislative imperatives and learn what you can do to help getting them passed. Rob had a long career with DEEP as its legislative liaison and brings long relationships with legislators to Audubon.

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Plum Island is a 822-acre island located about a mile east of Orient Point, Long Island. The 1869 Plum Island Lighthouse and the 1897 Fort Terry army barracks on the island are both of listed on the National Register of Historic Places. After Fort Terry was decommissioned, in 1954 Plum Island became home to the Plum Island Animal Disease Center, established by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. 

Despite these buildings and activities, about 90 percent of Plum Island is undeveloped, forming an ecological gem with a 97-acre freshwater wetland and numerous wildlife breeding grounds. It has habitat for 228 bird species, significant ecological communities, including marine rocky intertidal shores, marine eelgrass beds, and maritime bluffs, and rich fish populations in Plum Gut and several distinct sub-tidal marine habitats.

The ADC will be relocated to the National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility, a $1.25 billion Biosafety Level 4 laboratory/fortress currently under construction in Kansas, by next year. When it does leave, preservationists and environmentalists want the island to be designated as a national monument.

Louise Harrison, New York Natural Areas coordinator for Save the Sound, will lead us on a tour of Plum Island and its waters, describe its unique aspects and the history of preservation activities, and make the case for the Plum Island National Monument.

Louise is a conservation biologist Louise Harrison who first visited Plum Island in 2010 when she was working as the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service liaison to the Long Island Sound Study. She was enthralled by the tiny island’s importance to resident and migrating animals. She has extensive field experience working in Long Island’s coastal communities and natural ecosystems, from the boroughs of New York City to Montauk and Orient Points and has received numerous awards for open space preservation efforts.

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Waterfowl are a valuable part of Connecticut's natural resources. Approximately 30 species of waterfowl spend some part of the year in Connecticut's wetlands, rivers, estuaries, and other water bodies. Many species that breed in northern New England and Canada come to Connecticut in the winter to to find food on our lakes, rivers, and in Long Island Sound.

Join DEEP Wildlife Division Biologist Paul Benjunas and learn about Connecticut's waterfowl and some of the research being conducted to better understand and conserve these species.

This presentation will focus on the waterfowl species seen in the state. Tips on their identification, habits, and migration patterns will help you find ducks like Wood Duck, Hooded, Red-breasted, and Common Mergansers, Greater Scaup, Canvasbacks, Buffleheads, and Northern Shoveler, loons, and geese like Snow Goose and Brant.

Join National Wildlife Refuge Biologist, Kris Vagos, for this presentation on native plants. Learn about beautiful native species that attract pollinators and birds, about others that are edible or have uses that help people, about native plants that catch their food or their next host, and about native plants that are unique or uncommon. A hand-out with steps that you can follow to learn more about native plants will be provided.

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Kris works at Stewart B. McKinney National Wildlife Refuge as a Wildlife Biologist. She grew up in southern New Hampshire and attended Boston College for her undergraduate work in Biology and Environmental Studies. After school, Kris volunteered and worked throughout the United States and other parts of the world. She was a research assistant at the University of New Hampshire and got her Master’s degree in Natural Resource Management. Her thesis project focused on what makes non-native shrubs invasive in New England. Before moving to Connecticut, Kris lived along the southern coast of Maine and worked for Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge.

Birds don’t see glass. They perceive windows as passageways to fly through or as habitat to fly into when windows mirror the sky and trees behind them. Birds typically die after colliding with windows and collisions are a major cause of avian mortality worldwide.

Collisions with windows are the third greatest cause of death for birds in the United States, after habitat loss and predation by outdoor cats. Peer-reviewed conservative research estimates that about one million birds collide with windows every day—the annual estimate is 365 to 988 million.

To learn about this threat and how to help mitigate it at your home, join Dennis Riordan, for a presentation of Bird-Window Collisions, developed by the Pennsylvania-based Bird-Window Collision Working Group that includes the Acopian Center at Muhlenberg College and Audubon Pennsylvania.

Register here to get Zoom link.