Oystercatchers in CT doing well?
Question from Nick Bonomo:
Did Oystercatchers do well this year?
This past June, while boating with my brothers on the sound off of Westbrook, we passed an island
that was closed to people - don't remember name - Gull Island? From the boat, we saw 2 pair of
Oystercatchers, one with a pair of fledged young, and another pair? - with one sitting on eggs.
Also on island were many herons, Ibis. We noticed several Yellow-crowned and Blk crowneds. I
would assumn these herons prey on eggs and young of other birds that nest there? yes?
Would like to ask if anyone might let us know how these birds - Oystercatchers - are doing here in
CT? Also; we seemed to have noticed many more Little Blue Herons around then years before here in
the Westbrook area; are they doing better here as well?
Paul Carrier
The overall trend for American Oystercatchers has been positive over the last 15 years. SBC #'s from 1992-1996 were on the order of 10 individuals recorded statewide, from 2002-present there have been 40+, with a couple of years exceptions where #'s dipped to around and below the 30 mark. These trends also hold up when measured against party hours. (yes there are limitations to these data, but I would say it is a safe bet that they reflect a true upward trend, which is also consistent with regional trends).
As you may know, oystercatchers were abundant in colonial times and wiped out from Connecticut in the 19th Century, not reappearing until the 1970's. Zeranski and Baptist cite "overhunting and egg collecting." I suspect recent trends reflect a continuing recovery of their historic range. Overall #'s of the species are still relatively low, with a population estimate of 3000 to 7500 individuals for the eastern subspecies, so oystercatchers remain a species of conservation concern despite recent trends towards recovery.
Little Blue Herons are still too uncommon in CT to get much in the way of an indication of trend, but are also of national conservation concern.
Black-crowned Night Herons are a significant predator of chicks and eggs. I used to think that perhaps they confined these activities to areas away from nesting colonies, but they have been a significant predator of terns on Stratton Island in Saco Bay, ME, where Night-Herons nest on the same island as Common, Roseate, Arctic and Least Terns. There have been some recent regional downward trends for Black-Crowned Night-Herons in the Northeast and Manoment is looking into the reason behind these trends. SBC does indicate a possible decline in CT, but there is too much eccentricity to say much for certain.
Patrick Comins, Meriden
-----Original Message-----
From: ctbirds-bounces@lists.ctbirding.org [mailto:ctbirds-bounces@lists.ctbirding.org] On Behalf Of Carrier Graphics
Sent: Tuesday, August 07, 2007 12:35 PM
To: ctbirds@lists.ctbirding.org
Subject: [CT Birds] Oystercatchers in CT doing well?
Question from Nick Bonomo:
Did Oystercatchers do well this year?
This past June, while boating with my brothers on the sound off of Westbrook, we passed an island
that was closed to people - don't remember name - Gull Island? From the boat, we saw 2 pair of
Oystercatchers, one with a pair of fledged young, and another pair? - with one sitting on eggs.
Also on island were many herons, Ibis. We noticed several Yellow-crowned and Blk crowneds. I
would assumn these herons prey on eggs and young of other birds that nest there? yes?
Would like to ask if anyone might let us know how these birds - Oystercatchers - are doing here in
CT? Also; we seemed to have noticed many more Little Blue Herons around then years before here in
the Westbrook area; are they doing better here as well?
Paul Carrier
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