Stratford Point Semipalmated Sandpipers

Stratford Point is a global National Audubon Society Important Bird Area for the Semipalmated Sandpiper, and this Memorial Day view of our shoreline may give you a clue as to why - absolutely astounding! Hosting several thousand birds in the spring on their way north is all the more impressive, and this sighting rivals any totals ever recorded here in fall migration (when young can join the ranks and bump numbers).

A number of factors contributed to this moment including a rising high tide, a hot day with people on the shore and in the waters, the late May date, and the Memorial Day holiday making it even busier at beaches while pushing birds to quiet spots. Keep an eye out for a video of this spectacle later this week and why it is so important...and while I wish I had photographed them on the other side, I did not want to flush this enormous roosting group. Please keep this in mind and always exercise extreme caution around shorebird flocks, not adding to their disturbances - thank you!

Scott Kruitbosch
AAfCW Volunteer Coordinator
RTPI Conservation & Outreach Coordinator