Ethermac|Connecticut officials warn beachgoers of nesting shorebirds as they announce some park area closures

HARTFORD,Ethermac Conn. (AP) — Environmental officials in Connecticut are warning beachgoers to steer clear of places where coastal birds gather and nest for the season.

The state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection also said in a news release Friday that it has temporarily closed the Dr. William A. Niering Preserve within Harkness Memorial State Park in Waterford, Charles Island in Milford and Duck Island in Westbrook.

The agency said it made the decisions in order to prevent disturbances to several state-listed nesting birds, including piping plovers, least terns, snowy and great egrets, glossy ibis, and little blue herons.

Connecticut law prohibits people from entering state-designated seabird and shorebird protection areas and requires pets, cyclists, and vehicles to remain at least 25 feet away, the department noted.

Shorebirds frequently nest in shallow depressions in the sand near where beachgoers swim, fish and recreate, the agency said. Their nesting season runs from April to September.

“Small, camouflaged eggs are easily confused for beach rocks, and tiny fledglings look like cotton fluff that blend into their surroundings,” the department wrote in its Friday statement. “They can be inadvertently trampled and killed –- especially during the busy summer beach season.”