Wildlife behaving as normal — it’s humans who have changed
FAIRFIELD — While turkeys have been spotted perusing Fairfield’s beaches, Police Capt. Robert Kalamaras said it is not uncommon.
“It’s not unusual,” Kalamaras said. “We see turkeys on the beach. We see deer on the beach, in addition to Canadian geese. We see all sorts of wildlife.”
According to Kalamaras, wild animals are more active on Fairfield’s parks and beaches during the winter, when there are fewer people in the area. He said the department has not been receiving more calls about animals during the coronavirus pandemic than they would in normal circumstances.
Jenny Dickson, director of the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection’s Wildlife Division, said while there have been many stories online about animals reclaiming spaces newly vacated by humans, she does not think that is the case in Connecticut.
“It’s a little bit different for us in Connecticut,” she said. “In part because, a lot of our wildlife species were very well adapted to coexisting with people anyway. They made use of the habitat. They still have a like of natural habitat — right up to the edges of suburbia and even within urban areas.”
For that reason, Dickson said wildlife in Connecticut are behaving normally. She said humans are the ones that have changed and, in this state at least, residents may be perceiving more because they have less distractions and are spending more time outdoors.
“People are spending more time out in their backyards,” Dickson said. “They are trying to get out and recreate in a lot of natural areas. So, they are seeing wildlife a lot more frequently than they would have, just because they are in the same place as the animals are right now.”
One noticeable change is the amount of animals that are getting hit by cars, Dickson said, because there is significantly less traffic.
“There’s definitely a reduced number of road kills for a lot of our wildlife species,” she said.
For species like turtles, Dickson said, that begin to lay eggs in May and June, being killed by cars can be one of their biggest conservation threats. She said turtles may benefit from the lack of road traffic.
According to Dickson, turtles can not reproduce until they are 7 to 10 years old and, when a female turtle is killed by a car, they lose an entire generation of turtles that they would have produced.
“It has a more dramatic impact than losing the occasional hatchling,” Dickson said. “For some species that are a little more rare, like a box turtle, that can make a big difference. Every adult female we can save is a big plus for conservation, and that means the population is not declining quite as quickly.”
Dickson said the decline in road kills might be offset by the increase in human activity in wildlife areas. She said there has been an unprecedented level of human activity in parks and beaches. She said that has created some challenges for local birds.
“One of the things that becomes difficult this time of year, when we’ve got species like piping plovers and least terns (back, and they’re nesting right on beaches in Connecticut, (can be human activity),” she said. “It’s about giving them the type of space that they need to successfully nest and raise their young.”
Dickson said as people try to maintain social distancing, they might take up more space than they usually do and could be traveling in nesting sites. She said DEEP has gone to most nesting areas and put up fencing and string to keep people from traveling near them.
“We’re also seeing a lot more people ... taking their dogs to the beach,” she said. “That’s something that people really need to pay attention to, because, this time of year, a lot of beaches are closed to dogs (or) have leash requirements for dogs. While it may seem non-threatening to us, or we may not think our dog would cause any harm, the birds don’t see it that way. For them, that’s just a predator.”For that reason, Dickson said it is important to give wildlife space. She said it doesn’t matter if that means nesting birds, a black bear in a back yard or the turkeys people see on Fairfield beaches.
“You always want to make sure that you’re giving wildlife enough space that they feel comfortable and can move around and do what it is they’re going to do,” Dickson said. “That’s going to mean that there is less likelihood of an encounter that’s going to create a nuisance problem or result in harm to the animal.”
Dickson said DEEP wants people to enjoy Connecticut’s wildlife, but to do so responsibly.
“The one thing that is probably really good for all of us,” she said, “is that this does present us with an opportunity to reconnect with nature. Our lives are normally extremely busy and we’re always running from one thing to the next. We don’t always have that chance to experience all of the wonderful natural resources around us and this is really the perfect time to get out and explore what’s in your back yard.”More information about Connecticut’s wildlife, as well as tips for outdoor recreation, can be found at portal.ct.gov/DEEP.