October 2026

Wildlife Highlights is published by the Connecticut DEEP Wildlife Division. Please share the newsletter with others to help spread awareness about Connecticut's wildlife!

NEW! Submit your hunting photos! The Wildlife Division is seeking a photo to grace the cover of the upcoming Hunting and Trapping Guide. If you have a great hunting photo you would like to submit, please email it to deep.ctwildlife@ct.gov.

Drury's Longhorn Bee on New England Aster observed at Robbins Swamp Wildlife Management Area. Photo courtesy of  David Mantack.

The Bee's Needs - An Inventory of Connecticut's Critical Pollinators

In response to a need for better data on bees in the region and nationwide, an updated inventory of Connecticut’s bees was created to help state agencies and other partners conserve economically and ecologically important pollinators and their habitats. This effort was accomplished in part through a State Wildlife Grant from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Connecticut’s comprehensive bee inventory — which draws from historical records, online community science platforms, previous checklists, and other publications — directs attention to priorities by identifying bees of greatest conservation concern, bees that are not well studied, and bees that require surveys to confirm whether they still occur in the state.

Most notably, the links between species and habitats in the updated bee list will help the Wildlife Division advance conservation priorities identified in its State Wildlife Action Plan.

Importance of state-owned wildlife management areas: For several years, Wildlife Division Habitat Program staff have been transforming what was once a 14-acre agricultural field into a biologically diverse meadow at Robbins Swamp Wildlife Management Area in Falls Village, Connecticut.

Tracy Zarrillo and fellow entomologists with the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station (CAES) have been monitoring Robbins Swamp and several other DEEP properties for pollinators and have made some remarkable observations in recent years as part of the ongoing bee research effort taking place across the state.

In 2022, CAES staff observed the yellow-banded bumble bee (Bombus terricola), an uncommon but important pollinator that is experiencing population decline across its range. Last year, CAES staff observed Macropis patellata, a solitary oil-collecting bee that has not been documented in Connecticut since 1918!

More on the importance of the bee list . . .
Biodiversity of Bees in Connecticut . . .

A pair of Tri-colored Bats hibernating in the mine of Old New-Gate Prison and Copper Mine in East Granby, Connecticut.  

Hang in there - It's Almost Bat Week!

Fly along with us on social media for Bat Week (October 24-31) as part of the annual celebration created to raise awareness about bats and bat conservation. 

The only mammals capable of true flight, bats are vital to the health of our natural world and economy. Although we may not always see them, bats are hard at work all around the world each night - eating tons of insects, pollinating flowers, and spreading seeds that grow new plants and trees.

Nine different species of bats are found in Connecticut, and all but one of them (the big brown bat) are on Connecticut’s List of Endangered, Threatened and Special Concern Species.

Join us on Facebook and Instagram during Bat Week to learn more about what the Wildlife Division and other conservation partners are doing to study and conserve Connecticut’s bats.

More on bats of Connecticut . . .

Fisher photo courtesy of Frank Bartlett.

Report Fisher Sightings

Wildlife Division staff are gearing up for a final field season of live-trapping fisher across Connecticut to learn more about the state’s declining population. The fisher is a large member of the weasel family that inhabits large tracts of forest with large trees that are often used for denning.

Since the research project began in 2023, 90 unique individuals were captured and fitted with lightweight VHF/GPS radio collars to track their movements across the landscape. The data collected from the collars provide a better understanding of fisher habitat preference and movement patterns. The collars will eventually detach from the fishers over time thanks to a designed breakaway feature, allowing staff to recover the collars at the conclusion of the project.
 
Additionally, morphometric measurements (i.e. body measurements) and biological samples are collected from each fisher that is handled as part of this study to learn more about gene sequencing and disease. 

If you or someone you know has recently seen a wild fisher in Connecticut, the Wildlife Division would like to know. Please take a few minutes to submit your sighting(s) to help wrap up the final field season.

Report fisher sightings . . .

Eastern Coyote photo courtesy of John Clery. 

Share Your Thoughts About Coyotes

The Wildlife Division is seeking public input on coyotes in Connecticut. This survey aims to better understand residents’ experiences with coyotes, their perceptions of these animals, and any concerns about living alongside them.

Your feedback will help us better understand public attitudes and inform future wildlife management, education, and outreach efforts.

Whether you've encountered a coyote or not, we encourage you to participate and share your perspective.

Take the survey . . .

Black Bear photo courtesy of David Evon.

Black Bears Are Stocking Up

Over the next several months, black bears will be increasingly active searching for food to build up their fat reserves for the coming winter. Hard mast, especially acorns and beechnuts, are among the top preferred food items. As the weather continues to cool, bears sense the changing of the seasons and may spend up to 20 hours a day looking for food.

During this time, black bears are focused on finding the most calories for the least amount of effort, and they are not picky eaters. Garbage, birdseed, and pet food are easy calorie jackpots for bears. Unprotected livestock, especially chicken coops can be particularly appealing.

Connecticut has an abundance of natural food to support the growing bear population. This fall, assist your community by keeping bears from accessing human-associated foods. Doing so will greatly help reduce or eliminate conflicts.

More on preventing conflicts with black bears . . .

What was once a 14-acre agricultural field has been turned into a biologically diverse meadow at Robbins Swamp Wildlife Management Area in Falls Village, Connecticut.

Creating and Managing Native Meadow Habitat - Workshop Recap 

Last month, Wildlife Division Habitat Program biologist Peter Picone held a workshop to highlight the importance of native meadows and the work the Habitat Program has done to transform Robbins Swamp Wildlife Management Area in Falls Village into a biologically diverse native landscape.
 
From establishing native plants using seeds, bare root, and winter-sowed plugs to the management of invasive plants, an emphasis was placed on the need for active management and patience to allow these kinds of habitat projects to establish.

Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station entomologist Tracy Zarrillo also highlighted the increase in pollinator diversity at Robbins Swamp during the first five years of the project and described how pollinator communities changed and expanded as the meadow habitat expanded.

Participants visited Robbins Swamp to see the habitat firsthand and observed several species, including Northern Leopard Frog, Northern Harrier, Monarch Butterfly (caterpillar), and a variety of native insects captured by Tracy and her colleague, David Mantack. Other species that have benefitted from this habitat management effort include white-tailed Deer, Wild Turkey, and American Woodcock.

The workshop highlighted the value of continued habitat management and restoration efforts throughout Connecticut and provided participants with a better understanding of how to implement habitat management practices for their own land management projects. Special thanks to the Friends of Sessions Woods who provided refreshments.

More resources on pollinators . . .

Upcoming Events:
The Wildlife Division will be participating in the following events in the near future:

• Hammonasset Fall Festival: Saturday, November 14, at Meigs Point Nature Center in Madison, Connecticut.

Who We Are
The Wildlife Division is part of the Bureau of Natural Resources within the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP). The Bureau is charged with managing the state’s natural resources (particularly fish, wildlife, and forests) through a program of research, management, public education, and regulation. The Wildlife Division is comprised of several programs that work together to conserve and manage Connecticut's wildlife.

Contact Us
Email: deep.ctwildlife@ct.gov
Phone: 860-424-3011
Wildlife Website
Hunting Information
Office Directory

The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer that is committed to complying with the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act. If you are seeking a communication aid or service, have limited proficiency in English, wish to file an ADA or Title VI discrimination complaint, or require some other accommodation, including equipment to facilitate virtual participation, please contact the DEEP Office of Diversity and Equity at 860-418-5910 or by email at deep.accommodations@ct.gov. Any person needing an accommodation for hearing impairment may call the State of Connecticut relay number - 711. In order to facilitate efforts to provide an accommodation, please request all accommodations as soon as possible following notice of any agency hearing, meeting, program or event.