The Connecticut Coastal Birding Trail

About the Connecticut Coastal Birding Trail project

Photo of viewing platform on Great Island The Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection Wildlife Division has launched a project to develop a highway-based trail through the coastal region of Connecticut. The Connecticut Coastal Birding Trail will guide visitors to more than 50 different sites including wildlife refuges, parks, historic sites, rivers, lakes and bike trails where they can see the nearly 400 species of birds that visit or nest in Connecticut. Although the trail will lead people to some of Connecticut's prime bird habitats, it also will offer travelers much more than birding, including Connecticut’s quaint New England atmosphere and cultural heritage.

According to the 2001 National Survey of Fishing, Hunting, and Wildlife-Associated Recreation released by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, more than 66 million residents nationally participated in wildlife viewing. The Connecticut Coastal Birding Trail will allow travelers to see birds in their natural habitat, while also providing opportunities to communicate important conservation messages and promote nature activities.

Get involved

The trail will take form throughout the coastal region by incorporating people’s suggestions for great places to watch birds. Individuals, birding clubs and businesses are invited to nominate potential sites for inclusion in the new trail. To see whether your site is suitable for inclusion on the Birding Trail, check out these Guidelines for Site Nomination. If you desire expert advice on which birds might frequent a site you are considering nominating, please contact one of the nearby Nature Centers and Birding Organizations. Click here to see how to nominate a site.

Volunteers will be the backbone of the development of this new network of birding sites. Birding clubs, chambers of commerce, local business owners, town governments, and others are encouraged to not only recommend sites for the trail, but also to adopt sites for on-going maintenance and visitor support such as on-site nature programs.

You, or your organization, can be a part of this effort to launch Connecticut’s first birding trail. To get involved, email Frank Haviland (flhaviland@attbi.com).

Connecticut Coastal Regions
The sites along the Connecticut Coastal Birding Trail will be grouped into four unique loops — one in each of the Connecticut shoreline Tourism Regions:

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