Bird Friendly Communities

Gardens are outdoor sanctuaries for birds, insects, and other wildlife. Native plants are best at providing what they need.Learn more →

Gardens are outdoor sanctuaries for birds, insects, and other wildlife. Native plants are best at providing what they need.

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UrbanScapes Native Plant Nursery is a collaboration between Menunkatuck and New Haven’sCommunity Placemaking Engagement Network. We work with locan teens growing native plants.Learn more →

UrbanScapes Native Plant Nursery is a collaboration between Menunkatuck and New Haven’sCommunity Placemaking Engagement Network. We work with locan teens growing native plants.

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Native shrubs and perennials can be bought from the UrbanScapes Native Plant Nursery. Plants are listed here.Learn more →

Native shrubs and perennials can be bought from the UrbanScapes Native Plant Nursery. Plants are listed here.

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Glass and lights present major hazards to birds, killing hundreds of millions of birds each year. You can make your home Bird Safe.Learn more →

Glass and lights present major hazards to birds, killing hundreds of millions of birds each year. You can make your home Bird Safe.

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Every spring and fall, millions of birds fly over the city of New Haven during their seasonal migration to and from their summer nesting grounds. Artificial light can confuse them and cause them to crash into buildings. Lights Out! Connecticut is working to change that.

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Many species of birds can be given a better chance to survive and thrive through a little assistance from structures we build. Home for Birds can help.Learn more →

Many species of birds can be given a better chance to survive and thrive through a little assistance from structures we build. Home for Birds can help.

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Live Bird Cameras

Menunkatuck in Action

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Menunkatuck Annual Report 2023
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Menunkatuck Annual Report 2022
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Hog Island Teen Camp Scholarship - Summer 2022
Hog Island Teen Camp Scholarship - Summer 2022
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Community Programs, Field Trips, and Festivals

Calendar
Engagement Sessions to Give Public a Voice in Helping to Revise Plan for Long Island Sound
May 8
Engagement Sessions to Give Public a Voice in Helping to Revise Plan for Long Island Sound

The Long Island Sound Study is inviting residents of communities near Long Island Sound and throughout the watershed to attend an in-person or virtual public engagement session in May to learn about the challenges facing the Sound and the progress being made in its restoration. Attendees will be able to provide comments on what issues are important to them, which will be used to revise the Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan, or CCMP, in 2025.   

Six in-person sessions, scheduled for daytime and evening, are scheduled for sites in Suffolk County, Queens, and New Haven along with three virtual sessions.

The CCMP addresses current and emerging issues for Long Island Sound: clean water, thriving habitats and abundant living resources, sustainable and resilient communities, and public involvement and stewardship. The Long Island Sound Study, a partnership of federal and state agencies working with local governments, communities, universities, and industry uses the CCMP as a blueprint to develop specific, measurable objectives to improve the health of the Sound and to commit to action plans to achieve them. It was last revised in 2015. You can find out more about the update plans here: A New Plan for 2025-2035.

The meetings will include: 

  • A presentation on Long Island Sound, progress and challenges, and opportunities to help set future goals and action plans

  • Tabling/Breakout sessions to brainstorm and gather feedback from participants on issues and objectives, hear what’s important to attendees

  • Plenary discussion of comments/feedback

  • Ideas for renaming the program

  • Review of next steps 

This is a broad stakeholder meeting – all interested in Long Island Sound are invited!  

World Migratory Bird Day
May 11
World Migratory Bird Day

Fun, free, family-friendly activities at Newhallville’s Learning Corridor.,

  • Bird Walks

  • Bird-friendly Gardening Tips

  • Native Plants for Sale

  • Scavenger Hunt

  • Information about New Haven’s Urban Oases and Schoolyard Habitats

  • Learn about the amazing distances that some birds travel in migration

  • Kids’ activities

  • Pancake breakfast 10:00-12:00

Live Raptor Show - 12:30

Live bird shows are not being offered because of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza.

Sponsored by Audubon Connecticut, Menunkatuck Audubon Society, and Community Placemaking Engagement Network.

Vulture: The Private Life of an Unloved Bird
May 14
Vulture: The Private Life of an Unloved Bird

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.

Register to get Zoom link.

What to Do with Injured Wildlife