Late last week I got over to the Massachusetts coast for some shorebirding. Consistent with my experience the last few years, the best place is not the refuge, but Sandy Point State Park at the end of the refuge road. On the ever-changing sand bars and mud flats of the estuary, and the wide sandy beach, shore birds congregate at high tide - some to feed in the shallows and some to roost and rest. I spent a couple of hours in the late morning as the tide was coming in.
Piping Plover is an endangered species, but the Massachusetts coast hosts more breeding pairs than anywhere else. Most people get very excited to see this rare plover. I am almost embarrassed to say that I expect to see it at Sandy Point. This juvenile demonstrates the continued protection and good management by Massachusetts of the Piping Plover's nesting sites ...
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| Piping Plover - juvenile |
Sanderlings are "true" sandpipers, chasing the waves along sandy beaches (as opposed to most sandpipers that are really "mudpipers"). I think these two are in transition from breeding to non-breeding plumage ...
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| Sanderlings |
I would love to have someone tell me that this is a Ringed Plover, but until that unlikely event, this will be a male
Semipalmated Plover ...
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| Semipalmated Plover - male |
On a broad and debris littered beach, roosting shorebirds may be present in huge numbers, and may also be overlooked as they blend into the background ...
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| Roosting Shorebirds - plovers & sandpipers |
Peeps are pips to identify, so I was pleased when I picked out the
White-rumped Sandpipers. This photo has the plus-factor of comparing size. The White-rumped, at 7.5," is noticeably larger than the nearby Semipalmated Sandpiper or Semipalmated Plover. Note the streaked flanks ...
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| White-rumped Sandpiper with Semipalmated Sandpiper (left foreground) and Semipalmated Plover (left background) |
Semipalmated Sandpipers resting and preening ...
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| Semipalmated Sandpipers |
Good birding!
