Dunlin, winter plumage. (Photo by author)
It's Day One of this season's shorebird survey at Two Mile, and again I'm taking over for Heidi while she spends a couple weeks doing some more habitat restoration work in the Gulf. Not exactly Spring-like on the beach: 42 degrees, a cold northeast wind, clouds and mist. But I have the beach to myself, which is the way I like it.
Well, myself and hundreds upon hundreds of sandpipers and dunlin, maybe 1300 or so by my estimated count, traveling north up the beach in flocks of a 25-100 birds, briefly lighting near the foam to feed for a bit, then taking off en masse to move a couple hundred yards before settling down again. It really is an impressive number of shorebirds and it emphasizes the importance of protecting this beach.
A group of five Piping Plovers manage to appear through the mist, separating themselves from the mob of other shorebirds by wandering up onto the dryer sand and drift line, poking through the dead phrag for bugs, maybe looking for a nice spot to settle down and raise a family. From one bird I see a brief ruffling of feathers, a half-hearted feint at another, maybe a preliminary practice mating move, and a few small, faint whistled "peeps" and one "peep-lo." Even with the north wind in my ears I can pick this sound out.
Winter plumage Dunlin are pretty nondescript birds but still easily separated from Sanderlings by their longer, down-curved bill and darker over-all color. WHen feeding, the two species seem to share the same niche; when they fly, they often separate themselves by species. Now is a good time for you to come to the beach and learn these two birds. There will be plenty of them here for at least the next few weeks I think.
And here's one thing I've learned about the Piping Plover: if I'm looking down the beach and see a shorebird, it's pretty certain that it's not a PIPL. Only when they separate themselves from the flock and start moving higher on the dry sand can you pick them out. It's always something I seem to see out of the corner of my eye, a bird that looks just a little different from the rest of the throng.
A few Red-throated Loons float offshore, beginning to show a little breeding color, and a couple of Ruddy Turnstones add to the fun.
Well, myself and hundreds upon hundreds of sandpipers and dunlin, maybe 1300 or so by my estimated count, traveling north up the beach in flocks of a 25-100 birds, briefly lighting near the foam to feed for a bit, then taking off en masse to move a couple hundred yards before settling down again. It really is an impressive number of shorebirds and it emphasizes the importance of protecting this beach.
A group of five Piping Plovers manage to appear through the mist, separating themselves from the mob of other shorebirds by wandering up onto the dryer sand and drift line, poking through the dead phrag for bugs, maybe looking for a nice spot to settle down and raise a family. From one bird I see a brief ruffling of feathers, a half-hearted feint at another, maybe a preliminary practice mating move, and a few small, faint whistled "peeps" and one "peep-lo." Even with the north wind in my ears I can pick this sound out.
Winter plumage Dunlin are pretty nondescript birds but still easily separated from Sanderlings by their longer, down-curved bill and darker over-all color. WHen feeding, the two species seem to share the same niche; when they fly, they often separate themselves by species. Now is a good time for you to come to the beach and learn these two birds. There will be plenty of them here for at least the next few weeks I think.
And here's one thing I've learned about the Piping Plover: if I'm looking down the beach and see a shorebird, it's pretty certain that it's not a PIPL. Only when they separate themselves from the flock and start moving higher on the dry sand can you pick them out. It's always something I seem to see out of the corner of my eye, a bird that looks just a little different from the rest of the throng.
A few Red-throated Loons float offshore, beginning to show a little breeding color, and a couple of Ruddy Turnstones add to the fun.
Sanderling. Notice the shorter, straighter bill, lighter overall color. (Photo by author)
RSS Feed
