The Big Sit! - Milford Point Coastal Center Fundraiser - Sunday, Oct 8, 2023 Hello Friends, On Sunday, October 8, 2023, our ace birding team, “The B.W. Surf Scopers”, will be participating in the annual The Big Sit! birding competition at Milford Point. This is an international event, founded and organized by The New Haven Bird Club, and involves teams counting as many bird species as they can in one calendar day while within a 17-foot diameter circle. For more info, click:  https://www.thebigsit.org. Our Big Sit! Is a fundraiser to support the conservation and education work of Connecticut Audubon’s Milford Point Coastal Center. I’m writing today to ask for your support. Please make a donation at https://www.ctaudubon.org/coastal-center-programs-events/ The team consists of Frank Gallo, Jim and Patrick Dugan, Tina Green, Tom Murray, George Amato, and me.  We will begin the day-long bird count, in any weather nature throws at us, at around 4:30am, and usually conclude after sunset around 7:30pm. It’s a long day! We always strive to break 100 species; some years we succeed. The weather forecast looks fairly good, with a rainy cold front passing by the day/night before. Our fingers are crossed for a lot of migrants, in addition to all the regular waterfowl, herons, and shorebirds. Last year our team placed third among 119 teams from four countries, with a tally of 103 species. The team raised a few thousand dollars for the Connecticut Audubon Society’s Milford Point Coastal Center. We are so grateful for your support!  This Center is a fantastic facility with a great staff that has educated the public about nature and helped conserve the diverse plant and animal communities along the shoreline. Many birders, photographers, naturalists, and lay-people have enjoyed the beauty of Milford Point for decades. Our goal for this Big Sit! is to raise even more than last year. Please consider donating to our efforts. You can do this online at the following link, or by calling the office at 203-878-7440, (ext 502). If you have already pledged, we thank you. With your help, we can continue to maintain the Milford Coastal Center as one of Connecticut’s Important Bird Areas and premier birding destinations!  THANK YOU! Website link: https://www.ctaudubon.org/coastal-center-programs-events/ Frank Mantlik Milford Coastal Center Advisory Board Member The Big Sit! Team member