Shorebirds are migrating through! 9/20/2024

September is the month for shorebird migration, and I visited Gooseberry Neck and Allen's Pond down in Westport to see what were on the beaches. Gooseberry had a number of Semipalmated Sandpipers as well as Sanderling. I also spotted one Least Sandpiper which is the smallest of the shorebirds known as peeps. Black-bellied Plover and Semipalmated Plover were around on the beach and the rocky side, and I also believe I saw a Golden Plover which would be a lifer for me! The Black-bellied is on the left below and the Golden is on the right.

After walking around Gooseberry Island, I visited the beach loop at nearby Allen's Pond and, using some information from a fellow birder, I spotted an immature Yellow-crowned Night Heron that has been hanging around the marsh creek looking for fiddler crabs. In the photo below, it is hard to tell who has captured who! I plan on heading to Plymouth Long Beach tomorrow at high tide to look for the Hudsonian Godwit.