Dog owners urged to beware of endangered bird nests ― and potential fines
Jul. 29—WATERFORD — A dog entered a federally protected bird nesting area at Harkness Memorial State Park recently, at the peak of nesting season, and crushed the eggs of one of the state's most vulnerable endangered bird species, state environmental officials said.
The trampled Least tern nest was discovered by field staff with the Audubon Alliance for Coastal Waterbirds while completing a daily survey of the park early in the morning, the Audubon Society said in a July 11 news release.
Come October, law enforcement officers will be able to issue infractions to dog owners who violate a new state law that protect nesting shorebirds, but Audubon Society officials say they are simply hoping to raise public awareness.
"Every single nest matters for this threatened bird," Audubon Connecticut's Coastal Program Coordinator Elizabeth Amendola said. "Compared to 10 years ago, the number of breeding pairs of least terns nesting in the state has decreased by almost half."
The birds, which had 247 nesting pairs at a handful of beaches in Connecticut in 2022, are about the size of a robin and have black-gray wings, a yellow beak and white body with a black "cap" on their heads, Audubon Director of Bird Conservation Corrie Folsom-O'Keefe said Wednesday. They typically arrive the first week of May and finish incubating their eggs around the middle of June.
The nest was trampled sometime in late June, by what Audubon staff and state environmental conservation police officers believe was an unleashed dog, the news release said. This conclusion was reached based on paw prints found at the scene, the release said.
"We know it's not a predator, because they would eat the eggs," Folsom-O'Keefe said.
"In situations like this, a pet's owner could face up to $20,000 in associated fines," the release said.
While a fine that large, or even potential criminal charges, would be the worst possible scenario faced by careless dog owners, the law that takes effect Oct. 1 will enable police to hand out infractions for treading on restricted nesting areas, Audubon Connecticut's Policy Director Robert LaFrance said Monday.
House Bill 6813, which was signed into law by Gov. Ned Lamont on June 27, will allow state environmental law enforcement officers to write tickets for incidents that might threaten or cause harm to protected seabird and shorebird nesting areas, LaFrance said.
According to the bill, the Commissioner of Energy and Environmental Protection may designate seabirds and shorebird protection areas from a list of endangered species during the period of March 1 to Sept. 15.
An infraction can be issued to any person who enters a seabird or shorebird protection area identified with string fencing, posts or signage.
"We're really happy that the General Assembly took up the bill," LaFrance said. "We've had trouble with dogs and bicycles. We wanted to give law enforcement a simple tool that they could use to help enforce and protect shorebirds and seabirds in Connecticut."
Harkness remains a popular spot for dog owners, some of whom said in interviews at the park and surrounding neighborhood last week that they recognize the importance of heeding warnings and staying away from the birds.
The park is generally dog friendly, Phyllis Freeman of Montville said while she sat with her leashed dog Porsche on Monday.
"There are lovely shady spots, and it's very quiet," she said.
Geoff Bolte of Thompson said that he and his wife, Jess, enjoyed having open space to let their dog Mia do her own thing. Mia was also leashed.
"Obviously, with the bird spaces there's limited spaces where we can take her," Bolte said. "At least here there's plenty of spaces for dogs to be."
"We have to share our space," Jess Bolte said. "Technically, it's not even ours. We have to share their shore."
Meanwhile, Sharon Williams, whose husband and in-laws own a vacation home on the other side of the beach, said she has not seen anyone in her neighborhood taking dogs into the protected area.
There are signs at Harkness that warn visitors against trespassing and bringing dogs onto the beach.
"The person who did this would have had to ignore those signs," Folsom-O'Keefe said.
"Typically, everyone is good about following the signs," Williams said. "They stop where they're supposed to."
Harkness is a popular spot for dog walkers, and there are dogs on the other side of the beach, belonging partially to a neighborhood called "the Strand."
Folsom-O'Keefe said there are only four places in the state where least terns can nest. For their safety, she did not wish to disclose the locations of the other three sites.
"We're fortunate to be able to share our shores with these birds," Folsom-O'Keefe said.
The incident at Harkness was the latest in a series of incidents that have threatened the safety of endangered birds in the state. Folsom-O'Keefe gave a few tips for parkgoers:
Don't bring dogs onto the beach, stay outside of the fenced in nesting areas, limit the use of drones on the beach and carry your trash out with you.
"This year has been a learning lesson for everybody" Folsom-O'Keefe said.
