Brookline Bird Club – America’s most active bird club!

Ellisville Harbor SP Shorebird Field Trip with Lisa Schibley

The weather could not have been more beautiful for our shorebird trip led by Lisa Schibley at Ellisville Harbor State Park in Plymouth. Everyone was excited about the trip, especially after hearing Lisa speak so enthusiastically about shorebirds the previous night during our Members Only Webinar: The Art and Craft of Shorebird Identification. Lisa is the North American Coordinator for the International Shorebird Survey at Manomet Conservation Sciences and her expertise showed abundantly. The trip was like a master class for shorebirding—Lisa is an amazing teacher. Joining Lisa was Soheil Zendah, the author of the New England Shorebird Guide website.

The ten of us introduced ourselves and indicated what we hoped to see, and Lisa explained what to expect during the trip. We walked about a mile toward the beach along a paved road that hugged the marsh. As the marsh became visible on our left, we saw several Great Egrets, an Osprey carrying fish to its young, a couple of Great Blue Herons, a Northern Harrier flying low, and a Green Heron that seemed to challenge us by staring towards us as it walked closer and raised its head feathers. These sightings were a great prelude to the shorebirds to come.

As we approached the beach, we felt the cool breeze of the ocean and soon saw our first shorebirds along the water’s edge. Lisa had us study the birds in detail and discuss what we were seeing. She asked us what features we noticed: What kind of bill does it have? What color are its legs? Does that make it a juvenile or an adult? Are you noticing the warm colors? Soheil Zendah brought up the New England Shorebird Guide website several times on one of our phones and showed us photos of the bird’s details to compare them with what we were actually seeing in the field, teaching us how to make the final ID.

Our group sighted ten shorebird species, including 300 Semipalmated Sandpipers, 4 Short-billed Dowitchers, 11 Black-bellied plovers, 6 Greater Yellowlegs, and most notably one Pectoral Sandpiper that napped off and on for quite some time. The tide was going out and we enjoyed approximately two hours of observations of the birds, mostly at rest or feeding. The entire experience was educational; the birds were so close that we had great views. As we were leaving the beach we heard the haunting calls of a Common Loon. Does it get any better than this?

View the eBird list from the trip.

Great egrets in marsh
Great egret in flight
Participants at Ellsville Harbor State park shorebird walk
Digiscope of Black Bellied Plovers

News Categories

BBC News
BBC Trip Reports
Pelagic Trip Report
In Find Memory
BBC Annual Report

Upcoming Field Trips

Field Trips / Events

Field Trips / Events Search and Views Navigation

Field Trip / Event Views Navigation

Today

  • Scusset Beach State Reservation

    Sagamore - Scusset Beach Pier Parking Lot MA, United States

    Offered by the Cape Cod Bird Club! and co-sponsored by Brookline Bird Club. We'll spend the morning exploring the thickets on the wooded trails for fall migrants, walking the bike path along the canal where wintering waterfowl should just be coming in and exploring the campground area. We’ll finish up at the beach and scope [...]

  • Fresh Pond, Cambridge

    Cambridge - Fresh Pond - TD Bank 235 Alewife Brook Pkwy, Cambridge, MA, United States

    An easy 2-mile walk through pondside meadows and forest paths at Fresh Pond. The over-wintering waterbirds have started to arrive, and we may see Ring-necked Ducks, Ruddy Ducks and both Hooded and Common Mergansers. Meadow and forest species may include year-round residents as well as seasonal visitors from the north (e.g. White-throated Sparrows, Juncos).

  • Franklin Park – Scarboro Pond (Early Birders Series)

    Boston - Franklin Park Tennis Courts (Meeting Spot) MA, United States

    Join fellow birders in their 20s-30s as we visit Franklin Park! Located in Roxbury, Boston’s largest open space is home to a plethora of natural features, including miles of trails, playing fields, a pond, and plenty of birds! Here we will look for all sorts of songbirds, including late fall migrants and early winterers. Whether [...]

  • An Oasis for Birds at Belle Isle Marsh

    East Boston - Belle Isle Parking Lot 1399 Bennington Street, Boston, MA, United States

    Led by DCR staff. We will search on foot up to one mile, on flat, easy terrain for snowy owls and other raptors, native sparrows, finches, waterfowl, and other birds. This is a traveling program by car or bike. Prepare for ticks. Ages: Adults and kids 8 years+ with adult chaperone. Binoculars recommended. Cosponsored by [...]

  • Arlington Reservoir with Arlington Open Space Committee and Arlington Reservoir Committee

    Lexington - Arlington Reservoir 210 Lowell Street, Arlington, MA, United States

    Getting into late fall, we'll look for interesting ducks and perhaps lingering shorebirds. We'll also check the gardens for remaining fall migrants. Cosponsored by the Arlington Open Space Committee and Arlington Reservoir Committee, and Menotomy Bird Club. For late arrivers, this time we'll circle the reservoir in the clockwise direction looking for interesting ducks first. [...]

Established in 1913, America’s most active bird club!

© 2024 Brookline Bird Club

Go to Top