Plum Island

The weather followed the forecast, with sunshine and temperatures in the mid-70s—ideal birding conditions. We gathered at the commuter lot in Ludlow, carpooled to Joppa Flats, met up with additional members, and then headed directly to Sandy Point, where several more joined us. In all, 15 members traveled in six vehicles.

We saw thousands of Tree Swallows swarming the skies on our ride through the refuge, but we arrived at the end of the road to find the lots were already full. While the drivers waited in line for a spot, the passengers got out and began birding at Emerson Rocks. We spotted a Black Guillemot on the ocean and four Piping Plovers near the water’s edge. Scanning a group of terns on the beach, we were unable to find the reported Roseate or Forster’s Terns, but we did see Common Terns—both adults and juveniles—as well as a Least Tern.

The walk down Sandy Point provided additional views of terns and gulls. The group of three who had arrived earlier found Laughing and Bonaparte’s Gulls, but the rest of us came up empty on those species—although we did find Laughing Gull later in the day. While scanning the shorebirds spread out along the upper beach, we spotted a Ruddy Turnstone and a few Least Sandpipers among the many Semipalmated Sandpipers and Semipalmated Plovers. An Osprey also gave us a flyby.

After birding Sandy Point, we returned to Emerson Rocks to look for a Caspian Tern that three members had spotted while the rest of us were at the point. Unfortunately, most of us missed it; we heard that it had flown off just minutes before we arrived.

Stage Island Trail was next. There, we added Short-billed Dowitcher, Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs, Gadwall, and Black-crowned Night-Heron to our list. We initially misidentified the night-heron as a Yellow-crowned Night-Heron. From the platform deck, we spotted a slightly larger, whiter shorebird feeding frantically back and forth just beyond a group of Semipalmated Sandpipers on the far side of the pool. We were puzzled by this bird’s identification, but found out later that it was a Wilson’s Phalarope.

The birds were distant and the light was poor during our visit to Bill Forward Pool, but the North Pool Overlook did not disappoint. Luck was on our side when a King Rail appeared behind the tall grasses and came into the open several times, giving us a show-stopping performance. We also saw a Northern Waterthrush scurrying along the water’s edge beside the tall grasses.

Our next stop was the Salt Pannes, where numerous shorebirds made birding both enjoyable and challenging as we searched for rarities. We found several White-rumped Sandpipers, a small flock of Black-bellied Plovers, and a Spotted Sandpiper to add to our shorebird count.

A lone Purple Martin perched atop a martin house at Lot 1. Across the street, we added Marsh Wren, Barn Swallow, and Killdeer to our growing list. Our final birding stop was outside the refuge at the seawall. With the tide in, our visit there was brief.

We ended the day a bit tired but smiling as we tallied 69 species on our adventure to the coast. Click below to view complete species list.

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