by Britney Fox
First off, we'd like to extend a very special thank you to Alex Lamoreaux and Lauren diBiccari for joining us in Scarborough for a lovely morning of shorebirding! We started at a familiar location—Pine Point near Stearns Seafood, where we meet each year for our Stratton trip. While we waited for everyone to arrive, there were already so many birds to take in across the water. We first heard some loud American Oystercatchers and then spotted several through our scopes. Juvenile Black-crowned Night-Herons and a good mix of shorebirds worked the mudflats, while terns flew around and loafed on boats off Pine Point. Our first rare bird came early, when we all got great looks at Forster's Terns lined up neatly on a nearby moored boat. We'd end up tallying nine Forster's Terns over the course of the morning, and seeing them alongside Common Terns gave us a great chance to compare the two species side by side.
Down on the beach, we got excellent looks at Short-billed Dowitchers probing the mud with their signature "sewing machine" feeding style. A large flock of Semipalmated and Least Sandpipers, with a Western Sandpiper mixed in, flushed before everyone could get a good look—always a mesmerizing thing to watch shorebirds take flight! Willets were scattered through the group, along with several Semipalmated Plovers. One of our favorites to watch were the Black-bellied Plovers—we saw many and heard their calls too. When the flock flushed in a big way, Alex called out to watch for predators, and sure enough, a Peregrine Falcon shot through the sky! It wouldn’t the the last time we saw this Peregrine this morning and we were in for a treat! We also noted two adult Bald Eagles soaring over us on the pier— always an impressive and majestic sight.
Once the excitement at Pine Point settled, we made a quick trip over to the Pelreco building area, where a Wilson's Phalarope had recently been reported. At our viewing spot, we were greeted by a newly fledged American Goldfinch peeping away in the driveway—everyone got a great look at the tiny, adorable bird before we cleared out so its parents could return. Scanning the marshy area turned up new shorebird species, including Lesser and Greater Yellowlegs and a White-rumped Sandpiper, along with Great and Snowy Egrets and our target bird, the Wilson's Phalarope! Phalaropes are fascinating shorebirds, and we watched this one spin in tight circles to stir up prey, then rest on a clump of grass—it was interesting to see one out of the water for a change. We also spotted a few tiny Green-winged Teal at this spot, which we learned count as "honorary shorebirds" since they like to hang out wherever shorebirds do.
From a different vantage point, we got absolutely stunning views of that same juvenile Peregrine Falcon, doing its best to hunt the marsh's shorebirds but coming up empty each time. Not great news for a hungry falcon, but our group was thrilled to watch such a powerful bird in action. For the last leg of the trip, we walked out to the Pine Point jetty hoping to add a few more shorebird species to our list. By then the day had turned hot and the beach was busy with people, but we still managed to catch a couple of Bonaparte's Gulls by the water’s edge.
We learned so much from Alex throughout the trip and had a great time exploring beyond birds too—including a very cool bait bucket full of interesting crabs and fish! For the full list from our trip, see the report below.
https://ebird.org/tripreport/565400?view=checklists
Stay tuned for details on our next MYBC outing—a day trip to Monhegan Island! Until then, enjoy what's left of this beautiful summer weather, and happy birding!
