Connecticut environmental officials are asking beachgoers to stay least 50 yards away from where large concentrations or birds are gathered and avoid areas roped off as designated nesting locations.
The Department of Energy and Environmental Protection is making the request as people visit Connecticut's shoreline around the Fourth of July.
Jenny Dickson, DEEP's wildlife division director, says shorebirds and wading birds need special protection throughout the April-to-September nesting season. She advises beachgoers to keep fireworks and kites, especially kites that make noise, away from beach areas. Piping plovers, least terns, American oystercatchers, herons and egrets are particularly vulnerable.
DEEP is also urging people to keep their pets leashed at all times and way from fenced areas, noting that dogs are prohibited on some beaches during the summer season.