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May 2025
Wildlife Highlights is published by the Connecticut DEEP Wildlife Division. Please share the newsletter with others to help spread awareness about Connecticut's wildlife!
"Northern Grace" by Ben Bognon.
Winner of the 2025 Connecticut Junior Conservation (Duck) Stamp Art Contest
Congratulations to New Canaan resident, Ben Bognon (age 18), whose beautifully illustrated drawing of two northern pintails, which is entitled "Northern Grace", was selected as the "Best in Show" for the annual competition.
Ben's painting will be featured on the 2026 Connecticut Migratory Bird Conservation Stamp! Funds from the sale of these stamps goes directly to conserving wetlands in Connecticut. Since 1993, nearly 4,000 acres of wetlands have been enhanced or restored through this program, providing critical habitat for not only waterfowl but for a wide range of wildlife.
Connecticut Migratory Bird Conservation Stamps can be purchased by hunters, collectors, conservationists, and others for $17 each wherever hunting and fishing licenses are sold: participating town clerks and retail agents, DEEP Licensing and Revenue (79 Elm Street in Hartford), and through DEEP's Online Outdoor Licensing System or the online DEEP Store.
Help keep Connecticut's black bears wild by not allowing them access to attractants, especially bird feeders and garbage.
Keep Black Bears from Sniffing Around
This time of year, black bear cubs are learning how to forage, and the adult sows will often lead their cubs to the places where they reliably found food last year -- even if that location is not a good lesson for the young bears to learn.
If a bear visited your property last year, make sure your bird feeders have been taken down, there is no pet food or birdseed outside, and garbage is in bear-resistant containers or stored securely where bears cannot see, smell, or get at it. Storing these attractants in a screened-in porch, inside a garage that is frequently open, or in the bed of a truck are not considered secure places.
A hungry sow with cubs will not turn down a quick meal of bird food or garbage. That kind of undesired behavior is quickly learned by the cubs, leading to more poor behavior, and risks to their survival, down the road.
Wild animals often leave their young unattended for several hours or more. Be aware that animals thought to be orphans may not need your assistance.
Young Wildlife: If You Care, Leave It There
May is the time of year when many species are raising their young, and there is a good chance of encountering young wildlife. Young animals may appear to be “abandoned”, but in most cases, an adult is likely out of sight close by, waiting for you to leave.
The best thing you can do for young wildlife is to leave them alone. Do not intervene unless you are certain that the animal is orphaned, obviously injured, or in immediate danger. Before touching it or moving the animal, please consult the DEEP website for a list of licensed volunteer wildlife rehabilitators. If you must touch an animal, always wear gloves. This will help protect both you and the animal.
More on dealing with distressed wildlife . . .
In mid-May to late June, female eastern box turtles will travel from a few feet to more than a mile within their home range to find a location to dig a nest and lay their eggs.
Eyes on the Road for Crossing Turtles
Connecticut’s landscape is highly fragmented by busy roads, and every spring and early summer, many egg-bearing female turtles cross these roadways to find suitable nesting habitat. Unfortunately, many turtles are killed by moving vehicles while attempting to cross.
While you are driving, watch out for turtles. Helping a turtle across the road can be the difference between life and death for the animal, and for future generations, but your safety comes first. Be sure to assist a turtle in the road only when it is safe to do so and do not attempt to stop traffic. If you choose to stop and help a turtle across the road, always move it in the direction it was heading, and do not attempt to relocate the turtle to a different area.
More on turtles of Connecticut . . .
In Connecticut, the first piping plover eggs are typically laid by late April in a shallow depression in the sand often lined with shells.
Connecticut's Shorebirds: Chick Season Is Upon Us
This time of year, many shorebirds, especially piping plovers, are spending a considerable amount of time incubating eggs on their nest. Plover nests are notoriously cryptic, consisting of only a small depression along a beach above the high tide line. The eggs are a pale buff color with brownish black splotches, making them nearly impossible to spot among the sand.
Staff from the DEEP Wildlife Division, Audubon Connecticut, and The Connecticut Audubon Society, along with a core of very dedicated volunteers, are currently busy keeping tabs on nesting shorebirds. Once a nest has been identified, special exclosure fencing is often set up that allows the adult plovers to access the nest, but keeps out larger predators and prevents people from accidentally stepping on the nest or young chicks.
May is a particularly stressful time for shorebirds, and it is important to limit disturbance as much as possible to ensure the birds are spending as much time as needed on the nest. Too much disturbance (especially from unaware beachgoers and off-leash dogs) will often result in the failure of the nest. When visiting the shoreline, please give these birds plenty of space and respect the shorebird exclosure fencing and signage.
More on nesting shorebirds . . .
Common eastern bumble bee courtesy of David Mantack.
NEW! Connecticut Bee Checklist and Wildlife Action Plan Update
Assessing what species are present and where they occur on the landscape is a critical first step for wildlife conservation. Major progress was recently made for 385 of Connecticut’s bee species. Authors Tracy Zarrillo and Kimberly Stoner with the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station, along with John Ascher with the National University of Singapore, have recently published Biodiversity of Bees (Hymenoptera: Apoidea: Anthophila) in Connecticut (USA). Remarkably, the publication incorporated 18,471 records of bee occurrences from the web platform iNaturalist.org, where anyone can make an account and upload occurrence records of animals or plants.
Recently, the Wildlife Division has been highlighting work by our conservation partners that helps achieve goals set in Connecticut’s Wildlife Action Plan. This new publication is a major milestone for bee conservation in Connecticut. Importantly, 39 bee species have been designated State Assessment Priority Species in the forthcoming revision of Connecticut’s Wildlife Action Plan. This means that more information is needed to understand the status of these bee species in Connecticut. Meanwhile, nine bee species have been designated Species of Greatest Conservation Need.
In early June, we will be collecting public input on a complete draft of Connecticut's revised 2025 Wildlife Action Plan. All of us benefit from and influence wildlife in one way or another, and everyone’s input is welcome. Once available, a link to provide input will be provided in an upcoming issue of this newsletter, on social media, and on this webpage: Provide Input to the CT Wildlife Action Plan.
View the bee checklist . . .
Grassland habitat at Suffield Wildlife Management Area is enhanced through the use of prescribed fire.
Using Prescribed Fire to Enhance Habitat
Several prescribed burns occurred across state lands this spring, including Suffield Wildlife Management Area (WMA), Quinebaug River WMA, and Pachaug State Forest.
Prescribed fire is one of many techniques that foresters and wildlife professionals use to help sustain and enhance grassland habitat for wildlife by controlling woody vegetation and suppressing invasive plant species.
Within just a couple of months, these sites, especially Suffield WMA, will be teeming with native grasses, providing suitable nesting habitat for a variety of wildlife, including ground-nesting birds, such as the upland sandpiper, grasshopper sparrow, eastern meadowlark, and savannah sparrow.
These collaborative efforts are conducted with fire-trained personnel from DEEP's Forestry and Wildlife Divisions, along with staff from the State Parks and Support Services Divisions.
Eastern coyote courtesy of John Clery.
Coexisting with Coyotes
Eastern coyotes have expanded their range since first being documented in Connecticut in the mid-1950s and are now common throughout the state. This expansion occurred, in part, to their ability to adapt to a variety of habitats, including developed areas like wooded suburbs, parks, beach fronts, and office parks. This has resulted in an increase in coyote sightings and related human-coyote conflicts.
Although some coyotes may exhibit bold behavior near people, the risk of a coyote attacking a person is low, and the presence of a coyote in a suburban/urban setting does not warrant its removal. The DEEP Wildlife Division documents reported coyote conflicts and provides information on resolving conflicts, but only authorizes removal of coyotes in certain circumstances. Staff can also provide referrals to licensed Nuisance Wildlife Control Operators (NWCOs) for possible on-site assistance.
The best ways to avoid conflicts with coyotes is to not allow pets to roam free and unsupervised and never put food outside for any mammals.
If a coyote is behaving abnormally or exhibiting unusually bold behavior (approaching people for food, attacking leashed pets that are with their owners, chasing joggers or bikers, etc.), report these incidents to your local animal control officer or DEEP's 24-hour Dispatch Center at 860-424-3333.
More on preventing conflicts with coyotes . . .
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: https://portal.ct.gov/deep/wildlife/wildlife-in-connecticut
Office Directory: https://portal.ct.gov/deep/wildlife/wildlife-division-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.
