Osprey Platform 1/15/12

Photos by Jim Murtagh

Osprey Platform - Jan 15, 2012

Photos by Shannon Schiesser

Livingston Ripley Waterfowl Conservancy

The field trip to LRWC yesterday gave us extremely close looks at various ducks and geese, some that we see here at long distance and others from other continents.

West Wharf Dune Restoration

Menunkatuck and the Madison Conservation Commission have partnered to restore the sand dune at West Wharf. Invasive plants were removed and additional sand added to the area. Today, thirteen volunteers planted 8100 beach grass plugs.

King/Robinson Students Visit Hammonasset

Sixth, seventh, and eighth grade students from New Haven's King/Robinson Magnet School were at Hammonasset Beach State Park for hands-on science lessons in the tidal marsh, along the rocky and sandy beaches and along the terminal morraine.

Guilford Salt Meadows Sanctuary Planting

Menunkatuck Audubon Society sponsored a work day at Audubon Guilford Salt Meadows Sanctuary. Eighteen volunteers planted 440 native shrubs and trees. The woods edge was opened up by removing non-native invasive plants.

Made possible by an IBA Small Matching Grant and an Audubon Chapter Collaborative Grant and the Guilford Foundation.

Purple Martin Banding 2011

DEEP biologists banded the purple martins at the Hammonasset Beach State Park colonies.

Project Limulus 2011

The Menukatuck Audubon Society Project Limulus team has tagged 750 horseshoe crabs so far this season, more than twice last year's count with another month to go. Enjoy these pictures take by Amy Hopkins, Ann Delaney, and Terry Shaw.
Update: A total of 975 horseshoe crabs were tagged by the Menunkatuck team.

Bonnie Alexander Fundraiser

Christine Cummings and Todd Secki from A Place Called Hope brought birds of prey from their rehabilitation center to the Meigs Point Nature Center for a fund-raiser for fellow rehabilitator Bonnie Alexander. Menunkatuck Audubon Society, the Friends of Hammonasset, and the Nature Center were the sponsors.

Photos by Shannon Scheisser.

Hammo Fall Planting - Jim Murtagh

Hammo Planting - Shannon Schiesser

Twelve volunteers spent the morning of November 6 planting 210 native trees and shrubs at Hammonasset Beach State Park. An Audubon Collaborative Grant supplemented with money from the Friends of Hammonasset Unilever Grant were used to purchase the plants and the mulch that was put around the plants.

Hammo Fall Planting - Susan

Horizon Wings at King Robinson

Horizon Wings Raptor Rehabilitation and Education visited King/Robinson Magnet School in New Haven on June 18. Mary-Beth Kaeser and Jeanne Wadsworth brought an American kestrel, a broad-winged hawk, a peregrine falcon, and a great-horned owl to show the school's students.

Project Limulus

Free Willy 3

Sunday, January 10, 2009, over 100 volunteers spent two chilly hours cutting invasive shrubs and vines from Willards Island at Hammonasset Beach State Park.

When the work time was complete, volunteers went to the Meigs Point Nature Center for lunch and Christine and Todd Secki showed some of the raptors they rehabilitate at A Place Called Hope.

Thanks to the following local businesses for their supplying the food:

* Lenny and Joe's Fish Tale, Madison - Clam Chowder
* Friends and Company, Madison - Vegetarian Chili and Fresh-baked Bread
* Grand Pizza, Clinton - Stuffed Italian Breads
* Cohen's Bagel Shop, Madison - Fresh-baked Bagels
* Coffee Break Restaurant, Clinton - Fresh-brewed Coffee
* Savvy Tea, Madison - Fresh-brewed Tea
* Bishop's Orchards, Guilford - Apple Cider
* Madison Chocolates, Madison - Assorted Desserts

Free Willy 3 - Jim Murtagh

Jim Murtagh shared his photos of Free Willy with us.

Free Willy 3 - Sussie Capezzone

Sussie Capezzone shared her photos of Free Willy with us.

East River Preserve Bio-boards

Bio- boards are sheets of plywood that are positioned in strategic areas to provide shade and cover for reptiles, amphib- ians, insects and small mammals. Bio-boards are often used by herpetologists to determine the presence of snakes in areas of interest.

Cub Scout Pack 475 in Guilford volunteered to place four bio-boards in various locations on the East River Preserve property. Menunkatuck member and local herpetologist, Chuck Annicelli, worked with the scouts to locate them in appropriate places.

Anyone can place bio-boards in their backyard to provide habitat for small animals. The plywood does not have to be painted but it will last longer if it is. Even smaller pieces of scrap plywood or boards will do the trick; it can be an inexpensive and fun way to enhance your back yard for wildlife and wildlife viewing.

Guilford Salt Meadow Sanctuary Osprey Platform

On October 25, 2009, a group of Menunkatuck members and friends installed an osprey platform in the marsh at the Guilford Salt Meadow Sanctuary. The platform was constructed by Guilford High School students Ryan and Megan as part of their capstone project.

Kestrel-Bat Houses

Tom Sayers and John Picard met on Labor Day to install the two new kestrel boxes at Hammonasset Beach State Park. One kestrel box is near the reclaimed salt marsh and the other is near Pavilion #1. These two boxes will be monitored for use in the Spring, we will let you know what happens.

They also installed the new bat house on a pole that Park personnel had installed for us. The new bat pole is more than sturdy and should last for years.

Making Bioboards at MPNC

Bio- boards are sheets of plywood that are positioned in strategic areas to provide shade and cover for reptiles, amphibians, insects and small mammals. Bio-boards are often used by herpetologists to determine the presence of snakes in areas of interest.
One area of interest is Hammonasset Beach State Park. It has long been known that there are snakes within the border of the Park. However, determining how many and what species has been a question. These bio-boards will help.

Osprey Banding

On the morning of July 10 when DEP Wildlife Biologist Julie Victoria accompanied by Menunkatuck Board member Shannon Scheisser, Menunkatuck Friend and volunteer Cate Nyary, Ed Localio and John Picard, struck out into the salt marsh with a pocket full of aluminum bands and a ladder, in eager anticipation of what they would find. The goal was to return with an empty pocket, a muddy ladder, and memories to last a lifetime.

Opsrey Platform June 13, 2009

On Saturday, June 13, fifteen Menunkatuck Audubon Society mem- bers and friends installed the fourth new osprey platform at Hammonasset. This is a new platform and is viewable from the Nature Center at Meigs Point.
With the osprey population in- creasing in Connecticut, we hope that next spring a new couple will take up summer residence to give visitors to the park great views of them raising young.

Wind Over Wings

On March 31 Menunkatuck sponsored a Wind Over Wings presenta- tion to the entire school. Over 270 students crammed into the school auditorium as Hope Douglas explained the char- acteristics of raptors with a Saw-whet Owl, a Red-tailed Hawk, a Golden Eagle, and a Great Horned Owl.

A Sense of Wonder

Following the screening of "A Sense of Wonder," a panel discussion featured Menunkatuck president Suzanne Botta Sullivan, Russ Miller, Deb Heinrich, and Kay Kudlinski,.

Osprey Platform March 8, 2009

On March 7 and 8 two more osprey platforms were replaced at Hammonasset Beach State Park.

Osprey Platform March 2009

On March 7 and 8 two more osprey platforms were replaced at Hammonasset Beach State Park.

FreeWilly2

On a frigid January 4, 2009, around 125 volunteers spent several hours cutting invasive plants at Willards Island at Hammonasset Beach State Park.

Seal Cruise

Menunkatuck chartered the Sea Mist for a March cruise through the Thimble Islands to view wintering seals.

Osprey Platform 2008

The first of the old Sanibel tripod osprey platforms was replaced in the marsh at Meigs Point at Hammonasset Beach State Park.

The platform was constructed of cedar and redwood by students at Morgan High School in Clinton using a design by John Picard.

Free Willy

Over 100 volunteers spent a bright Sunday morning removing invasive plants from Willards Island at Hammonasset Beach State Park.

Swallow Cruise

Each fall during their migration, thousands of tree swallows roost in the marshes at the mouth of the Connecticut River. Menunkatuck sponsored a boat trip to view the spectacular sight of them gathering at dusk and streaming down into the marsh.

Birds of the Outback

A different sort of field trip took Menunkatuck members to the Mystic Aquarium for a look at the Birds of the Outback.

Outer Island Field Trip

Fabulous day, fabulous trip.

Wolf Talk

One of the most popular of Menunkatuck's monthly programs was Wolf Talk.

CAMP

A more perfect day could not have been ordered for the amphibian-loving group that met near the traffic circle in Madison on the morning of Saturday, May 5, 2007, with the goal of seeking out and recording the various species of amphibians that inhabit specified wetlands areas, cumulatively referred to as the Podunk site in Madison. The group divided up into several smaller groups, who then delved into the wetland areas with their dip nets and sample containers in tow.
The purpose of the outing was to gather in-depth data for the Connecticut Amphibian Monitoring Project (C.A.M.P.), which is a 15-year study, being conducted through the Children’s Museum of West Hartford, to monitor amphibian populations throughout Connecticut .

Peeper Prowl