First chicks, Milford Pt, 26 May 13

A few photos of the first chicks of the season.  They hatched out of exclosure #1 on Cedar Beach.

Adult sheltering chicks, 5/26/13 Milford Pt, Cedar Beach nest 1

chick from Cedar Beach #1, 5/26/13

Male sheltering, 1 chick waiting, 5/26/13

chick from Cedar Beach #1, 5/26/13

Milford Point, 5/23/13

Semipalmated Sandpiper, Milford Pt, 5/23/13

Some shorebirds at Milford Point on 5/23/13, a few of about 3,000, mainly Semipalmated Sandpipers.

Sanderling, 5/23/13, Milford Pt

Horseshoe Crab with Semipalated SPs and Sanderling eating HC eggs

Sanderling, 5/23/13

Semipalmated SP, 5/23/13

Least Tern couple courting, Mlfd Pt, 5/23/13

Silver Sands 5/18/13

On a cool day at Silver Sands SP, best bird was a male Blackpoll, but below a few shorebirds: a Lesser Yellowlegs to compare with a few Greaters, an Eastern Cottontail; above, Least Sandpiper.

Lesser with Greater Yellowlegs, size comparison

Lesser with Greater Yellowlegs, size comparison

2 Greater Yellowlegs

Lesser Yellowlegs, 5/18/13

Lesser Yellowlegs, 5/18/13, Silver Sands State Park

Greater Yellowlegs, 5/18/13, Silver Sands SP

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Eastern Cottontail, 5/18/13 Silver Sands

Shell Ave PIPL, 5/16/13

The scene at 99 Shell, Milford, on 5/16/13.  Owner had placed red traffic cones to warn off walkers.  Both male and female on nest within exclosure.  Machine grooming/grading going on near 851-55 East Broadway.  The 99 Shell male flew to this area where he confronted another PIPL pair: could we have another couple nesting on Silver Beach?

male on nest 99Shel

99 Shell with exclosure, sign, and owner's signed red cones

851-859 E Broadway in middle, with machine grader at work

female on nest 99 Shell

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AMOY chick Milford Pt 5/15/13

sign on Cedar Beach next to exclosure reads "Pair 2"

Today met a monitor who had found a chick with the first AMOY pair on the western extension of the Francis Street spit.  A few record shots for today (5/15/13)   Also, numbers have been attached to the exclosures (a photo of one above; incubator on nest below):

AMOY with chick, 5/15/13 w. ext. spit Milford Pt

AMOY parents with chick under one on right 5/15/13

AMOY with chick

AMOY with chick

exclosure with adult

6 exclosures Milford Pt, 5/10/13

Today, 5/10/13, 2 more exclosures were put up by Rebecca at Milford Point: one in front of house #51 on Cedar Beach, the other on the early part of the western extension of the Francis Street spit.  There are now 6 exclosures at Milford Point.  We think another pair, who were seen courting (goose--stepping, male elongation today), might nest on the far western part of the western extension.  Below a few views of the exclosures:

exclosure at beginning of Francis Street spit

exclosure on western extension of spit

Cedar Beach exclosure

another Cedar Beach exclosure

western extension exclosure installed 5/10/13

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99 Shell Ave nest back in business, 5/10/13

We found the E Bway PIPLs back on nest at 99 Shell Ave today.  Moreover, the owners of the site are actively participating in the birds' protection: they improvised protective area using day-glo pylons with Piping Plover posters attached.  Below a few photos:

long view of Silver Beach with nest marked by pylons at 99 Shell

owner placed pylons with PIPL flyer around nest

another view of nest area with 2 of six pylons, bird on right

the female on nest

the female looking full of eggs

Shell Ave PIPL prob nest gone 5/7/13

The possible PIPL nest at 99 Shell was probably destroyed by grooming yesterday (5/6/13).   This pair probably lost a nest 2 weeks ago near 859 E Bway, again to grooming, grading of the beach.  Below a few pictures:

99 Shell Ave, male PIPL, groomed area last night

closer view of above

the male PIPL of E Bway/Shell 5/7/13

Butterfly walk W. Rock Ridge, ed Larry Gall

A few pictures from the butterfly walk up West Rock Ridge in New Haven/Hamden led by Larry Gall. (While we saw 14 Falcate Orangetips, I could not get any photos.)  Also seen on trip, Spring Azure, Eastern Tailed Blue, Tiger Swallowtai, Mourning Cloak, Cabbage White, Juvenal Duskywing.

Darner, prob Springtime (Basiaeschna janata), or other Mosiac

Juniper Hairstreak 

Juniper Hairstreak closer view

Black Swallowtail

Darner, prob Springtime

5/3/13 East Broadway male & female PIPL

Still no nest for the East Broadway PIPLs on 5/3/13.  Pictures below show the pair in front of 879 E Bway: today they've moved west from Shell Avenue.  The female is fond of using foot-trembling while foraging, the male much less so.

E Broadway female 5/3/13 879 E Bway 

E Bway male 5/3/13

E Bway female 5/3/13