The potato fields in southern Northampton County still held 3 Hudsonian
Godwits, 1-2 American Plovers, many White-rumped Sandpipers and other peep, and
one
Stilt Sandpiper between 7:30 and 8:00 a.m. today. September is peak time
for Sharp-tailed Sandpiper, to be looked for wherever numbers of Pectoral
Sandpipers congregate.
As of today, the count of shorebird species for lower Northampton County
stands at 28 for 1 August through 3 September. That's nearly a record,
matched
by 2003 and surpassed by 1998. Here are the species reported:
Black-bellied Plover Pluvialis squatarola
American Golden-Plover Pluvialis dominica
Wilson's Plover Charadrius wilsonia
Semipalmated Plover Charadrius semipalmatus
Piping Plover Charadrius melodus
Killdeer Charadrius vociferus
American Oystercatcher Haematopus palliatus
Black-necked Stilt Himantopus mexicanus
American Avocet Recurvirostra americana
Spotted Sandpiper Actitis macularius
Solitary Sandpiper Tringa solitaria
Greater Yellowlegs Tringa melanoleuca
Western Willet Tringa semipalmata inornata
Lesser Yellowlegs Tringa flavipes
Upland Sandpiper Bartramia longicauda
Whimbrel Numenius phaeopus hudsonicus
Hudsonian Godwit Limosa haemastica
Marbled Godwit Limosa fedoa
Ruddy Turnstone Arenaria interpres
Red Knot Calidris canutus
Sanderling Calidris alba
Semipalmated Sandpiper Calidris pusilla
Western Sandpiper Calidris mauri
Least Sandpiper Calidris minutilla
White-rumped Sandpiper Calidris fuscicollis
Baird's Sandpiper Calidris bairdii
Pectoral Sandpiper Calidris melanotos
Stilt Sandpiper Calidris himantopus
Buff-breasted Sandpiper Tryngites subruficollis
Short-billed Dowitcher Limnodromus griseus
Long-billed Dowitcher Limnodromus scolopaceus
Wilson's Phalarope Phalaropus tricolor
Red-necked Phalarope Phalaropus lobatus
Red Phalarope Phalaropus fulicarius
Dunlin should arrive soon.
Expected by mid- to late September:
Long-billed Curlew Numenius americanus (if bird returns to Chimney Pole)
Purple Sandpiper Calidris maritima
Wilson's Snipe Gallinago delicata
American Woodcock Scolopax minor
Fields are still quite wet, so it's worth checking them over. A fantastic
nocturnal migration last night of warblers, Bobolinks, Wood Thrushes, and some
Veeries.
Ned Brinkley
Cape Charles, VA
