West Haven is known for its beaches and boardwalk, and the many seafood restaurants along its shoreline. But its birds? Few but the most avid birders are aware of the city's excellent opportunities for bird watching. Even long-term city residents find little noteworthy about the city's feathered inhabitants, except for perhaps the very visible Monk Parakeet colonies along Ocean Avenue.

So what is so unique about West Haven in regard to birds? For starters, the city's Sandy Point is a significant nesting location for the federally-threatened Piping Plover; approximately a dozen have returned for the season, and several nests have already been spotted thanks to volunteers assisting the US Fish and Wildlife Service. This sandy area protruding out into New Haven Harbor is also one of the most important Least Tern and mainland Common Tern colonies in the state. Bird watchers might also get to enjoy the endangered Roseate Tern, Red Knots, Black Skimmers, Oystercatchers and Ruddy Turnstones, as well, if their timing is right. The tidal marsh houses a small nesting colony of Saltmarsh Sharp-tailed Sparrows, and is visited by Saltmarsh and Nelson's Sharp-tailed Sparrows in migration

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Across town near the Milford border, the city's Oyster River offers another set of birding attractions. Oyster River's specialty are the Bonaparte's Gulls which can be seen in March and April, along with intermixed European rarities like the Little Gull and Black-headed Gull. A Ross' gull, one of the rarest birds in North America, was once spotted there! Other rare winter visitors include the Lesser Black-Backed Gull, Iceland Gull and Glaucous Gull.

As if that were not enough to deserve West Haven's presence on any birding map, a rare Eurasian Widgeon winters near St. John's by the Sea Church just west of the city's Bradley Point.

Because of the important habitat it provides to threatened and endangered birds, Sandy Point has been designated as an Important Bird Area by the National Audubon Society; Oyster River is likely to receive similar recognition. Both locations have been listed by the nascent Connecticut Coastal Birding Trail, which aims to identify areas that provide easy accessibility to good birding.

To promote awareness of these great bird viewing opportunities in West Haven, a group of local business professionals and birders has recently banded together under the moniker of the West Haven Coastal Habitat and Bird Trail Alliance. Active parties include local birders, economic development officials, members of the Chamber of Commerce, the Bayer Corporation, the University of New Haven, and representatives from the CT Coastal Birding Trail and Audubon Connecticut.

What unites these diverse entities is a belief that greater awareness of the special birds calling West Haven home (or passing through it on migration) will lead to tourism-related economic development and improved habitat conservation. The accessibility of the city's birding areas to the interstate is seen as a plus, as the group works to encourage casual birders to visit on their way to the casinos and other Connecticut or New England attractions.

Proposed short-term activities of the alliance include: development of a conservation plan, installation of interpretative signage, creation of brochures and a web site detailing the bird watching areas and local amenities, facilitation of birding-related environmental education activities, and promotion of West Haven birding areas in local and regional tourism materials.

The West Haven Coastal Habitat and Bird Trail Alliance is still in the early stages, and its members are eager for participation and input, especially from the area's birders. If you'd like to know more about the group, or have ideas to share, please contact Mike Lengle at 203-488-5024 or mikelengle@hotmail.com.

Submitted by Mike Lengle  

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Last updated 18 September, 2004 .