As July ends and we move into August, the swallows are already starting to gather on Plum Island. Hundreds can now be seen flying over the marsh and dunes. Numbers of tree swallows are also starting to roost in the North Pool phragmites, visible from North Pool Overlook and from the impoundment behind Hellcat. Their number will grow into the tens of thousands in the weeks ahead.
Warnings have already been posted to drive extra slow on the refuge these weeks as the swallows are often on the road.
Late July through early September is also the peak migration time for shorebirds heading south along the Massachusetts coast. Some of the best shore birding in the northeast can be found right here in Essex County. The thousands of acres of tidal marshes and flats, stretching from Newburyport Harbor to the Parker River and its estuaries in Newbury and Rowley, and to the coastal marshes of Ipswich and Essex, are an oasis for tired, hungry shorebirds. They stop to rest and feed on the crustacean rich mud flats and pans.
The best time to watch shorebirds along the rivers and harbor is when the tide is ebbing or, better still, with the incoming tide as the birds move closer to you as you watch. About four hours before or after high tide is a good rule of thumb. Low tide generally has the birds too dispersed or too far out on the mud flats for you to view well. Either side of low tide usually works well.
The best vantage points for Newburyport harbor are from the seawall at Joppa Park on Water Street or from the Massachusetts Audubon Joppa Flats property at the beginning of the Plum Island causeway. Greater and lesser yellowlegs, black-bellied and semipalmated plovers, least and semipalmated sandpipers, and short-billed dowitchers have already been spotted in the harbor.
At high tide, the shorebirds move to salt pan areas, shallow pools of water amid the tidal marshes. On the Parker River Refuge on Plum Island, salt pans are scattered throughout the marsh all along the west side of the road. The pull off at the Main Pannes is an especially good spot to get closer views of many species of shorebirds including white-rumped and western sandpipers and an occasional Wilson’s phalarope. However, the water levels in the main panne have been running dry all too often lately and we have found it more productive only after high tide.
The Bill Forward Pool behind the Hellcat Swamp nature trail on the refuge has had a higher water level this so far this season. Hopefully it will be lowered in the coming weeks for the large numbers of shorebirds that usually feed there during high tide. The Bill Forward Pool, when managed properly, also hosts a collection of herons, egrets and glossy ibis that stop and feed there, especially in the early morning or evening.
Further south on the refuge is Stage Island Pool where the water levels have been lowered somewhat, attracting more shorebirds early this season. However, the viewing there is quite distant, both from the platform on Stage Island at Lot 6 and the observation tower at Lot 7, so a good spotting scope is recommended. Stage Island Pool has historically been an excellent spot to view Baird’s, buff-breasted, and stilt sandpipers as well as the threatened red knots. Also watch for least bitterns, sora and Virginia rails which bred there this year.
A walk out to the beach at Sandy Point at the southern end of Plum Island will provide close views of piping plovers in the sand or black-bellied plovers and sanderlings along the water’s edge. Least, common and roseate terns are all plentiful there this week.
The good news is that there is usually an abundance of shorebirds in our area for the next six to eight weeks which increases the chances of getting good views of these birds.
Wherever you choose to look for shorebirds, be sure to bring your binoculars and a spotting scope if you have one. Many of these birds are often far enough away to require more than the naked eye to see any detail. If you are looking for binoculars or a scope, we will be having our annual Optics Day at the store on Sunday, Aug. 9, during the state’s sales tax holiday weekend. I will give you more details on that next week.
Steve Grinley is the owner of Bird Watcher’s Supply and Gift in the Port Plaza, Newburyport. Email him at Birdwsg@comcast.net. On the web: www.birdwatcherssupplyandgifts.com.