Last week, Dave Weaver and I went birding on Wednesday Morning with a nice group of people who did not fear the heat. We always love to see the shorebirds. The night before I had found two uncommon species, Buff-breasted Sandpiper, and Baird’s Sandpiper, at Bill forward Pool, so we were particularly hopeful. We came home extremely satisfied! Its the time in the shorebird migration when some of the more interesting species often show up. Don’t miss the surprises in store this Wednesday, when Dave Weaver and Susan Yurkus will lead the way! Here are some of the images from last week’s outing:

Common Raven that hangs around Joppa Flats and refuge HQ- Mike Densmore

Cooper’s Hawk – Mike Densmore

Cooper’s Hawk on electrical system – Bob Minton

Shorebirds in Flight – Patti Wood

Cedar Waxwings were everywhere – Bob Minton

Baird’s Sandpiper – Patti Wood

Buff-breasted Sandpiper – Patti Wood

Cormorants and Snowy Egrets – Patti Wood

Greater Yellowlegs – Bob Minton

Green Darner – shorebirds weren’t the only migrants! – Mike Densmore

Our list:
Mallard (~ 20) – juvs.; Stage Island Pool(SIP).
Common Eider (3) – 2 young drakes, 1 hen; Emerson Rocks.
Double-crested Cormorant (~ 25) – various.
Great Blue Heron (2) – 1, SIP; 1, Bill Forward Pool (BFP).
Great Egret – common; various.
Snowy Egret – common; various.
Osprey (1) – overhead; Hellcat dike.
[Cooper’s Hawk (1) – juv.; PRNWR HQ.]
Cooper’s Hawk (1) – flyby BFP blind.
Black-belled Plover (~ 40) – BFP.
Semipalmated Plover – common; various, mostly BFP.
Piping Plover (2) – parking lot # 7 beach.
Spotted Sandpiper (1) – SIP.
Greater Yellowlegs – common; SIP & BFP.
Lesser Yellowlegs – common; mostly BFP.
RED KNOT (5) – juvs.; BFP.
Sanderling (~ 15) -parking lot #7 beach.
Semipalmated Sandpiper – common; mostly BFP.
Least Sandpiper (3) – 2, SIP; 1, N. Pool from Hellcat dike.
White-rumped Sandpiper (8) – 4, BFP; 4, N. Pool from Hellcat dike.
BAIRD’S SANDPIPER (1) – BFP, seen close aboard Hellcat dike
BUFF-BREASTED SANDPIPER (2) – BFP, seen close aboard Hellcat dike
Short-billed Dowitcher (~ 13) – ~ 10, BFP; 3, N. Pool from Hellcat dike.
Ring-billed Gull -parking lot #7 beach.
Herring Gull -parking lot #7 beach.
Great Black-backed Gull (5) -parking lot #7 beach.
Rock Pigeon
Mourning Dove (2)
Eastern Kingbird (0)
Blue Jay (2)
Tree Swallow (~ 50)
Barn Swallow (1) -parking lot #7 beach.
Gray Catbird (1)
Northern Mockingbird (6) – parking lot #7.
European Starling
Cedar Waxwing – common; various.
House Finch (~ 25) – parking lot #7.

It looked so grim for our outing this Wednesday, with pouring, pounding rain, that the threat approached the “biblical” level. How many of you started for Joppa Flats, but turned around? As it happened, our group fitted in one van and one car, and we headed out into the deluge, having seen on the radar that it would soon ease up. By the time we got to North Pool Overlook on the Parker River National Wildlife Refuge, the rain had turned light. For the rest of the morning, it only misted occasionally, and we actually had a good time! One benefit was that Dave Weaver got to ride in the front seat of the forward van and see the birds we flushed as we drove along.  This time we flushed only a catbird or two, but still, he saw them!

Least Tern – Mike Densmore

The birds at North Pool Overlook were not abundant, but it was a delight watching a female Northern Harrier, Joppa Flats’ new mascot, drifting over her potential winter territory. Harriers have been seen regularly for a few weeks. They won’t disappear until mid-May, when migratory birds have mostly passed through. We love to see them on the marsh for nine months of the year. The other charming feature at North Pool Overlook was the gaggle of Black-crowned Night-Herons, four juveniles and one adult, roosting in the cedar on the island in the pool. That little Phragmites-covered island with its cedar tree is one of several night-heron and egret roosts on Plum Island. In the current season of post-breeding dispersal, the night-herons often are there until dusk.

Least Sandpiper attempts to become less bedraggled- David Moon

A very wet-looking juvenile Red-tailed Hawk passed by quite low at the overlook, and we found a Peregrine Falcon, also disheveled and wet, on a perch in the copse of trees at the south end of North Field. One of those has been seen on the exact same spot on a dead branch several times recently, making it seem to be the same individual.

plovers and sandpipers over Bill Forward Pool – Mike Densmore

We found lots of birds from the Hellcat dike, most of them on the exposed flats of Bill Forward Pool. Well over a thousand Semipalmated Plovers either huddled in tight flocks on the flats near us or foraged in their much more spread-out pattern farther down the pool. “SEPLs” show strong aggression on migratory feeding sites, with their characteristic chuckling calls and little ritualized charges at each other. However, when the inevitable raptor flies over, they form a tight, synchronous flock, all disagreements forgotten in an effort to avoid becoming food. We found many of the other usual suspects out there, such as Black-bellied Plovers, Short-billed Dowitchers, both species of yellowlegs, and Semipalmated Sandpipers. Least Terns roosted on the little “island” in the pool, which was still a bit flooded by all the rain.  While we didn’t find any uncommon shorebirds, it never gets old watching them individually and in their great flocks as they sweep back and forth above the flats.

Greater Yellowlegs chasing prey – Mike Densmore

With a bit more time to spare, we dashed to the beach platform overlooking Emerson Rocks, which were beginning to appear above the receding tide. The Sanderlings and plovers, both Semipalmated and Piping, provided another engaging crowd of peeps to observe. Since not everyone had yet seen the one-foot-forward shuffling that the Piping Plovers employ to scare up prey, it was fun to make sure they did see it then. Could Piping Plovers be more adorable? (Sorry, Dave W., they just are.) As is often the case in this transitional season for passerines, with some migrating and others still lingering, we ran into something odd, a flock of 25 or so House Finches, staying close together while foraging, and bursting away at our approach. It could be anything, from the common to the rare, the next time we go out. That is the joy of birding.

Piping Plover shuffles sand to reveal prey – David Moon

Our list:
Canada Goose
Gadwall (6) – 1 hen w/ 5 young; Bill Forward Pool.
Mallard (~ 20) – mostly Bill Forward Pool.
Green-winged Teal (~ 10) – North Pool from Hellcat dike.
Double-crested Cormorant – common.
Great Blue Heron (2) – 1, North Pool Overlook; 1, Bill Forward Pool.
Great Egret (~ 15) – various.
Snowy Egret (~ 8) – mostly Bill Forward Pool.
Black-crowned Night-Heron (5) – 1 adult, 4 juveniles; North Pool Overlook.
Osprey (4) – 1, Pines platform; 2, from lot #7; 1 w/ fish, near Cross Farm Hill.
Northern Harrier (1) – female; North Pool Overlook.
Red-tailed Hawk (1) – juv; North Pool Overlook.
Black-bellied Plover (~ 150) – Bill Forward Pool.
Semipalmated Plover (~ 1500) – Bill Forward Pool.
Piping Plover (5) – parking lot #7 beach.
[Killdeer (8) – PI Airport.]
Greater Yellowlegs (~ 50) – Bill Forward Pool & North Pool from Hellcat dike.
Lesser Yellowlegs (~ 25) – Bill Forward Pool & North Pool from Hellcat dike.
Sanderling (~ 25) – parking lot #7 beach.
Semipalmated Sandpiper (~ 500) – Bill Forward Pool.
Least Sandpiper (3) – Bill Forward Pool.
Short-billed Dowitcher (~ 40) – Bill Forward Pool & North Pool from Hellcat dike.
Ring-billed Gull (1) – Bill Forward Pool.
Herring Gull (~ 25) – parking lot #7 beach & Emerson Rocks.
Great Black-backed Gull (9) – parking lot #7 beach.
Least Tern (~ 14) – Bill Forward Pool.
Rock Pigeon – n. refuge gate.
Mourning Dove (5)
Peregrine Falcon (1-2) – 1 adult perched in dead tree, North Field; 1 flying south over marsh, south. small pannes.
Eastern Phoebe (1) – Bill Forward Pool Blind.
Eastern Kingbird (~ 10) – various.
American Crow (1)
Tree Swallow (100s)
Barn Swallow (1)
American Robin (~ 12) – roadside.
Gray Catbird (~ 7) – roadside.
Northern Mockingbird (~ 10) – various.
European Starling – many.
Cedar Waxwing (4)
Common Yellowthroat (1) – lot #7.
Eastern Towhee (2)
Song Sparrow (5)
Northern Cardinal (1) – singing east of parking lot #4.
Red-winged Blackbird (2) – North Pool from Hellcat dike.
Common Grackle (2)
House Finch (~ 25) – parking lot #7.
American Goldfinch (5)
House Sparrow

This Wednesday, with the tide low, Dave Weaver and I took our big group down the street toward town to get a closer view of the flats. There were hundreds or perhaps thousands of birds, mostly the semipalmated ones, strewn far out on the mud. As is often the case, a group of Black-bellied Plovers stayed together near the edge of the water, while a flock of Bonaparte’s Gulls and Common Terns foraged and rested on the water near them. They were mostly still handsome in alternate plumage. While we spent a short time practicing what identifications one can do with binoculars from such a distance, the inevitable Osprey with a large fish flew across the flats and toward hungry young on the salt marsh.

Osprey with fish – Bob Minton

Knowing that a special bird awaited us at the airport, we quickly moved on to find the American Golden-Plover that had been there all day on Tuesday. This bird is still molting out of a majority of its alternate plumage, so was easy to confirm. The runway is again full of Killdeer: 61 were there on Tuesday evening, running around in little clumps or singly, and settling down to roost next to the grass that grows from the cracks in the runway. We accounted for 12 Wednesday morning.

American Golden-Plover – John Linn

We found Parker River Refuge quite different than last week, when lots of shorebirds were found around the tufts of salt marsh grass in the pannes area. This Wednesday, the pannes were flooded, so no margins of mud offered any refuge or foraging opportunities. North Pool, from the overlook, was similarly devoid of shorebirds–not as active as it had been the previous week. While numbers of Tree Swallows had been rising before Wednesday, we did not see very many.

Lesser Yellowlegs – John Linn

At Hellcat, however, our fortunes picked up. We tried splitting up our group to get views from the Bill Forward Blind, but found the pool largely covered with water from heavy rains. One White-rumped Sandpiper foraged in the belly-deep water out with yellowlegs, its posture very erect, more like a Red Knot than a “peep.” Here and there other species showed up. Several roosting Least Terns sat on an island in the pool, and more White-rumped Sandpipers appeared. Two Black-bellied Plovers near the dike spent the entire time we were there marching back and forth right next to each other, one following the other, in a remarkable parade constituting behavior we could not decipher. After a while, the tide rose to a point that birds began leaving the big flats on the Merrimack River. Groups of shorebirds came in — plovers, sandpipers, and dowitchers gradually arrived, so that by the time we left, there was a lively and growing crowd.

Black-bellied Plovers in synchronous marching behavior – Bob-Minton

On Wednesday, birds started arriving noticeably at Bill Forward Pool when the water level was predicted to be at 0.6 feet in Newburyport, based on the graphs in a tide app that shows the curve of the predicted water level, gives the current predicted level, and allows one to find out what the level is predicted to be at any time in the future. We hope this is leading us toward a rough schedule of the best times to see shorebirds from the boat ramp at Joppa Park or along Water Street. More on that when we have a chance to refine our current predictions, but it looks like the flats are open when the water level predicted at Newburyport is near or just over 1 foot.

American Golden-Plover – David Moon

Our list:

Joppa Flats
Double-crested Cormorant (5)
Great Blue Heron (2)
Turkey Vulture (3) – from Plum Island Airport.
Osprey (1)
Black-bellied Plover (~ 25)
American Golden-Plover (1) – molting adult; PI Airport (thanks, Sue McGrath & Marj Rines!).
Semipalmated Plover (100’s)
Killdeer (12) – PI Airport.
Greater Yellowlegs – common.
Lesser Yellowlegs – common.
Semipalmated Sandpiper – many.
Bonaparte’s Gull (~ 15)
Herring Gull
Great Black-backed Gull
Common Tern – common.
Northern Mockingbird (2) – on Plum Island Turnpike wires.

Plum Island (Parker River NWR)
Canada Goose (~ 12) – Bill Forward Pool.
Gadwall (12) – including hen w/ 7 young at Bill Forward Pool.
Mallard (8)
Wild Turkey (6) – 2 hens, 4 poults; n. refuge entrance.
Double-crested Cormorant (~ 15) – Plum Island Bridge.
Great Egret (~ 8)
Snowy Egret (~ 15) – mostly Bill Forward Pool.
Black-crowned Night-Heron (1) – juv; Bill Forward Pool.
Osprey (2) – Pines platform.
Northern Harrier (1) – female; Bill Forward Pool dike.
Black-bellied Plover (~ 25) – Bill Forward Pool.
Semipalmated Plover (~ 150) – Bill Forward Pool.
Spotted Sandpiper (1) – Bill Forward Pool.
Greater Yellowlegs (8) – Bill Forward Pool& N. Pool from Hellcat dike.
Lesser Yellowlegs (~ 25) – Bill Forward Pool.
Semipalmated Sandpiper (~ 30) – Bill Forward Pool.
Least Sandpiper (1) – small pannes.
White-rumped Sandpiper (4) – Bill Forward Pool.
Short-billed Dowitcher (9) – Bill Forward Pool.
Ring-billed Gull (1) – Bill Forward Pool.
Great Black-backed Gull (1)
Least Tern (8) – Bill Forward Pool.
Common Tern (2)
Mourning Dove (3)
Eastern Kingbird (~ 6)
American Crow (2)
Purple Martin (~ 12) – vicinity of refuge entrance.
Tree Swallow – many.
American Robin (1)
European Starling – many.
Cedar Waxwing (6)
Song Sparrow (1)
Baltimore Oriole (1) – Goodno Woods crossing.
American Goldfinch (1)
House Sparrow

Note – On further review, we decided that it was much more likely that last week’s potential Long-billed Dowitcher was a Hendersoni subspecies of Short-billed Dowitcher, a population that breeds and migrates (more often) in the center of the continent. In photos we could see details like the particularly thick base of the bill, and other subtleties that make SBDO a more likely identification. Dowitchers are hard to discern, unless you hear them!

Note number two – Wednesday Evening, we found the usual species, but in addition, a Stilt Sandpiper, and thanks to Steve Grinley, a Wilson’s Phalarope in Bill Forward Pool!