While summer simmers, the month of August often sees wetlands and ponds drying up, a cyclical part of life for organisms occupying these aquatic realms. But, the high rates of evaporation also create great habitat for shorebirds. Lovers of mudflats and drying ponds, these birds forage nonstop in these newly formed environments. Where three months ago a plover might have been completely submerged, in August the plover finds a buffet of invertebrates. One of the delights to see foraging on these mudflats is the Semipalmated Plover, which can be distinguished simply from its stop and go style; the bird hurriedly bustles from one point to another.
I recall seeing these birds for the first time on Long Island, Wisconsin, where they were still migrating through in June. I was monitoring the related Piping Plovers, which look somewhat similar with a black band along their forehead and neck, and a black tip to their bill. The Semipalmated Plovers can be distinguished by their band running up against their beak, in addition to a thick band on their forehead. Semipalmated Plovers also have darker plumage than the piping plovers. These birds were a delight to watch as they sprinted and stopped along the Lake Superior beaches.
Semipalmated Plover. Photo by Mick Thompson
Piping Plover. Photo by USFWS Midwest Region
Nesting in the high arctic, the Semipalmated Plover spends a short stint at northern latitudes rearing its young. In the coming weeks, the birds will make their way through the continental United States, to spend the rest of fall and winter along coastal areas of the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.
You might be able to find Semipalmated Plovers amidst groups of shorebirds occupying mudflats at Faville Grove. While recent rains have increased water levels slightly, many wetlands and ponds still retain good habitat for shorebird viewing.
Written by Drew Harry, Faville Grove Sanctuary land steward
Cover photo by Mick Thompson
