COA Bulletin, Hawk Watch & Membership Change

In case you missed our latest COA email news (read how to avoid missing emails here), here is a copy of what was sent.

Latest News from COA

A new season is upon us and we have three messages to share with you below: a new issue of the COA Bulletin; an upcoming identification workshop. and a change in our membership policy!

COA – with your assistance, supporting the Connecticut birding community in many ways.

COA membership changes to ongoing 1-year system

Here is a link to the Fall 2022 issue of the COA Bulletin, featuring the following:

• an update on the CT Bird Atlas, which, now that all the field work is complete, has moved on to the hard work of data processing, analysis, and producing the eagerly anticipated final output,

• a summary of COA’s Bird of the Month selections to date, with links to the informative reports published on each species in support of this new initiative,
• a review of the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology’s new All About Birds regional field guide series,
• a follow-up article on the recently launched Lights Out Connecticut initiative,
• a gallery of rare bird photos from the summer season (thanks to all the photographers),
• information on COA membership,a brief status report on Congress’s progress moving Recovering America’s Wildlife Act closer to passage,
• a listing of COA’s fall workshops and events, and
• Steve Broker’s regular look-back at COA’s flagship journal, 25-Years Ago in The Connecticut Warbler

Enjoy the fall migration season!

Andrew Dasinger

Editor, COA Bulletin

Save the Date!

October 8, 9 am -12 pm, Quaker Ridge Hawk Watch

October 9, 8 am – 12 pm, Lighthouse Point Park Hawk Watch

Hawk Watch ID by Ryan MacLean, video on demand at ctbirding.org

October is prime time for honing your raptor identification skills, so COA offers special raptor events for our members, including Hawk Watch mornings on October 8 & 9. COA now has a Hawk ID video presentation by Ryan MacLean available for watching on-demand on our Members Only page. You must be a current COA member and sign in to your COA account to access the page.

More details are available here.

COA Membership Change

Recently COA changed all memberships from calendar year duration to 1-year duration membership from the date you joined or renewed. This gives members a true one-year membership, which is now possible with our new online membership system.

For example, if you joined/renewed on Jan. 15, 2022, your current membership expires on Jan. 15, 2023. Members may log in to their COA account to check their current membership status and expiration date. Except for Life memberships, the duration of a new or renewed paid ctbirding.org membership is one year from the day you join. Renewals, for members who have an active membership, add a full year to the date of their current expiration so you may renew anytime. Lapsed membership renewals begin on the day you renew and end one year later.

You will be notified by email a few weeks, and also a few days before your membership expires. Another email reminder will be sent after your membership expires. We no longer send hardcopy membership reminders.

What happens when my membership expires?
If/when your membership expires you no longer have access to Members Only content, and you will not receive any newly published copies of The Connecticut Warbler. Note: We will not mail back issues of our publications if you should rejoin COA. If you want to avoid missing issues, don’t let your membership lapse. Current members may access online copies of the most recent issues on the Members Only page and issues greater than 2 years old here.

Can I join/renew by mail?
Online purchase is easy and preferred, but we accept membership by US mail too. Mail-in memberships are active from the entry date, which may take 2-6 weeks. Download the mail-in form here. To enjoy the full benefits of your membership you must have and share an email address.

For more information see the Membership FAQ on our website.

COA Membership Team