Fishing The Sound, Tern-Style
Photos and Story By J.C. Martin For WestportLocalPress.com Click on an image to enlarge and open gallery.
The Common Tern in these photos were part of a group of 6 or 8 that practiced a fishing method called “plunge diving”, where they sight a fish close to the surface, on the wing and then dive into the water, taking the fish. They were not successful each time, but they eventually grabbed a nice dinner. This group may well have been part of colony which nests out on Cockenoe Island.
AllAboutBirds.org states, “Common Terns nest in colonies on the ground in areas with loose sand, gravel, shell, or cobble pebbles typically less than 350 feet from the water. They tend to choose areas with scattered, low-growing vegetation to provide cover for chicks.” Their clutch size is anywhere from 1-4 eggs with an incubation period of 22-27 days.
He’s In There Somewhere!
These 3 guys knew a fun, exhilarating way to beat the heat last week, splashing in the Sound on their powerful jet skis.
Photos By J.C. Martin For WestportLocalPress.com Click on an image to enlarge and open gallery.
The guy in blue seemed to be the alpha rider of the trio, pushing the envelope with tight turns at quite a clip, challenging the other riders.
Photos By J.C. Martin For WestportLocalPress.com Click on an image to enlarge and open gallery.
Plovers, Sandpipers, Oystercatchers, OH MY!
A few new families have moved to Westport recently, but they will not be staying long. These beautiful little shorebirds are adult semipalmated plovers (thick black neck band) and adult semipalmated sandpipers (no black neck bands).
Photos and Story By J.C. Martin For WestportLocalPress.com Click on an image to enlarge and open gallery.
According to Laura Saucier of CT DEEP, “This is a mixed species flock of birds that have stopped to feed whilst migrating through CT.” She told WestportLocalPress, “The semipalmated plover is a cousin to the piping plover, which Westport residents may have seen nesting on Compo Beach and Cockoene Island. Semipalmated plovers are shorebirds that show up in Connecticut during migration. They are only passing through our state either on their way to the arctic to breed during late spring, or on their way to overwintering beaches in the southeastern US south to Central and South America in late summer. This bird can be observed feeding in mixed flocks with other shorebird species. It has a thick black band around its neck as well as on its forehead and around its eye. It is darker in appearance than the piping plover.”
Photos and Story By J.C. Martin For WestportLocalPress.com.
Saucier added, “The semipalmated sandpiper is also a species that shows up in Connecticut during migration. It has a similar lifesyle to the semipalmated plover but migrates even further and overwinters primarily in South America. It also can be seen feeding in mixed species flocks on our beaches. This sandpiper is similar in size to plovers and can be difficult to identify with different sandpipier species. It has mottled brown/grey plumage on its head and back and is white underneath. This shorebird has undergone population declines recently therefore it is important to give consideration to it while it is resting and feeding on Connecticut beaches.”
These beauties show a a wonderful contrast with the Oystercatchers which have nested at Compo’s South Beach for several years. The one pictured above may be the female which hatched a couple of eggs earlier this year. In the two photos below, a juvenile Oystercatcher which has been banded by CT Audubon keeps the plover company at the shoreline. The juvenile has a beak which has not yet turned completely orange as in the photo at right of an adult.
Photos and Story By J.C. Martin For WestportLocalPress.com Click on an image to enlarge and open gallery.
These Plovers and Sandpipers, along with the Oystercatchers are protected at Compo’s South Beach by a wire fence erected by CT Audubon and CT DEEP. The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection encourages people to share the shore with migratory birds by limiting disturbance to feeding and resting shorebird flocks. Keeping dogs, kites, and bicycles away from the birds allows them quiet areas to rest and fuel up along their long migration.
See WestportLocalPress coverage of the stunningly beautiful Oystercatchers here: Shellfish On The Menu, and here: Busy Oystercatchers
To learn more abut these and other wonderful visitors to our town, visit: Atlantic Flyways.org.
Bridge Rally Marks 300 Days Of Captivity For Israeli Hostages
About 150 people, both Jews and non-Jews gathered for the rally on Thursday evening on the Ruth Steinkraus Cohen Memorial Bridge in Westport. Thursday marked the 300th day of captivity for the Israelis kidnapped by terrorists on October 7th, 2023.
Photos and Story By J.C. Martin For WestportLocalPress.com Click on an image to enlarge and open gallery.
Several groups including the local chapter of Run4TheirLIves joined in organizing the rally, the purpose of which was to keep attention focused on the plight of the Israeli hostages who were one day just living their lives like all of us and the next were thrust into a horrible captivity which has subjected them suffering which we have difficulty even discussing.
Above left, principal organizers (l. to r.) Jennifer Wolff, Melinda Boxbaum and Dori Bomback old one of the posters which were attached once again on the bridge railing. Melinda and Jennifer lead a group which has marched each Sunday morning since the Israelis were kidnapped, from the Westport Playhouse to stand on the Ruth Steinkraus Cohen Memorial bridge, and has vowed to to so until the hostages are returned home.
Bomback is an Instagram and local Jewish advocate (@strength4israel) was part of a global initiative to Mark 300 days using the artwork in that photo and helped to gather this group of people as a vehicle to stand in solidarity with the families of the hostages. Having many contacts with those families in Israel one of the goals of the group is showing the families that they are not alone, and half a world away people are standing by them, and attempting to encourage the Israeli government led by Benjamin Netanyahu to do more to rescue their families loved ones. Bomback told WestportLocalPress, “Wherever you are in the world, raise your voice on their behalf and be their voice on August 1, 2024. We cannot let them reach the one year mark! The time is now to demand their release and to continue reminding the world about their captivity. We cannot stop talking about the hostages! “
Photos and Story By J.C. Martin For WestportLocalPress.com Click on an image to enlarge and open gallery.
There was a very visible presence by Westport Police including Chief Foti Koskinas, striped shirt, standing with Officer Gunter and several other officers and command staff who were on duty to insure there were no problems with any potential counter protesters. Many passersby honked their horns and waved and cheered in support of the the group’s message.
The rally attendees spent nearly an hour on the bridge and replaced posters, numbering more than 100, of the kidnap victims which were removed by a local woman a few weeks ago (WestportLocalPress, Another Example Of Anti-Semitism) The posters which had been placed at that time were laminated and fastend with zip ties. The Westport PD responded to that activity and recovered the posters the woman had taken down which were returned to the group. They are hoping there will not be a repeat of that episode but acknowledge there are simply no guarantees.
Photos and Story By J.C. Martin For WestportLocalPress.com Click on an image to enlarge and open gallery.
Above and below are just a few of the posters showing the innocent victims of the most brutal and devastating attack against the State of Israel since the Holocaust.
Near the end of the event, volunteers were given posters and zip ties to replace those taken earlier. The exact reason the woman who was found taking down the posters a few weeks ago is not clear and is open to speculation.
Photos and Story By J.C. Martin For WestportLocalPress.com Click on an image to enlarge and open gallery.
Above, right, State Representative from Westport’s 136 district since 2011, Jonathan Steinberg joined the protestors, as did Second Selectwoman Andrea Moore (not pictured)