Every year, dozens of Audubon New York volunteers go to the beaches of New York and New Jersey and talk to visitors about our incredible (but also very fragile) migratory birds. The effort is part of our Be a Good Egg Program, an initiative that aims to raise awareness about the shore as the birds’ natural habitat.  

Our 2016 Be a Good Egg season will officially end this weekend, and we’re proud to say it was remarkably successful. More than 2,300 people signed our pledge and committed to pass along a message of conservation.

But make no mistake. While summer is almost over and the birds will soon migrate again, there are still plenty of things you can do to help us continue make the shore safe for our Least Terns, Piping Plovers and American Oystercatchers.

“Soon, many of these birds will begin a trip to South America, many of them from the Arctic,” says Amanda Pachomski, Audubon New York's Long Island Bird Conservation Manager. In the meantime, we still can make a difference.

“Now that the fall is almost here, two simple things can help them out. One of them is to take your trash with you when you visit the beach. Many of them will stop for a rest and trash can represent a risk for them. Also, don’t disturb them when they are feeding. They need all the energy they can gather to complete their long journey to warmer places,” Pachomski points out.

In addition, you can still sign the pledge (if you haven’t yet), and pass on the message to your friends and family so they can also join us in this effort.

“Supporting Audubon New York’s Be a Good Egg program is just another example of how PSEG Long Island is working to make things better for all Long Islanders, even our winged friends that use our beautiful shores and marshlands as a stopover,” said George Coburn, manager of community outreach for PSEG Long Island, a Be a Good Egg Partner. “We recognize the importance of Long Island’s migratory bird population on the overall ecology of the area and we are committed to giving back to the people and the communities we serve.”

Feeling generous, too? Please take visit our donation page and see how even $5 can help us make a difference in the conservation work we do.

If you want to get even more involved, we invite you to find out about 10 simple things you can do to help beach-nesting birds