They’re baaaaack! Here on the cusp of astronomical spring, those adorable little beach goers that certain people love to hate have arrived, or at least the first few scouts have. Piping Plovers have been seen in Orleans, Hyannis, and Sandwich, and more are likely out there on the bleak beaches of March. So I guess the beaches are closed now, and summer is cancelled! Just kidding! That’s just the kind of thing the people with Plover Derangement Syndrome like to say, the ones with the “Piping Plovers Taste Like Chicken” bumper stickers. This syndrome is similar to Shark Derangement Syndrome, wherein people 10 years ago said the tourists wouldn’t come anymore because of the sharks, even as the rental bookings, and prices, kept increasing year after year. The anti-wildlife types don’t like to let facts get in the way of a good story, in my experience.
But I digress. And anyway, it’s not just about Piping Plovers in March. Twenty-two species of shorebird, meaning sandpipers and plovers, have been recorded here in March over the years. But just a few typify early spring. Unlike most shorebirds, which nest in the Arctic and are just passing through, the ones I will profile today are all local nesters. As such, they are willing to risk the characteristically terrible March weather to secure a good territory in time for nesting in April and May.
Usually just before the first Piping Plovers arrive, in the first half of March, we see the first reports of American Oystercatchers. These big, loud colorful beach birds are a lot of fun, but are pickier than plovers about where they nest, preferring islands and other out of the way places, so are harder to come by. Chatham, Edgartown, and the west end of Nantucket are great places to see them in March, along with the western shore of Buzzard’s Bay. Look for a giant sandpiper looking bird with a black head, long red beak, and brown back. When you know what they sound like, they’re especially hard to miss – their repertoire includes loud whistled calls and boisterous pair interactions.
Our next bird is sometimes confused with Piping Plovers despite their totally different sizes, colors and habitat- other than that they are real doppelgangers. The Killdeer is indeed a plover, but a big, brown-backed, double-neck-ringed one that prefers gravel pits and ballfields to beaches in most cases. They will sometimes nest on gravelly rooftops, and were rumored to nest on the roof of Stop & Shop in Orleans in years past, though I never confirmed that myself. You might see flocks of them right now at grassy municipal airports like the one in Chatham. Last June my kids and I watched a female Killdeer fiercely guarding her eggs against the hordes of gawkers also on hand for a big car and plane show there. Listen for their self-referencing killdeer! killdeer! calls in open areas.
Our last shorebird of early spring is the famous American Woodcock, a weird woodland sandpiper in a class of their own. Woodcocks are short, fat, worm-munching shorebirds of fields, thickets, and woodland edge. Their fame comes from their performative nature – best known for their three part auditory and aerial mating displays that start in late February, they can’t even cross the street without dancing, and many videos of boogeying road woodcocks are out there on the internet.
There you have it, the charismatic, early arriving shorebirds of the Cape and Islands. And luckily us locals will have them all to ourselves, what with the tourism season being cancelled because of the plovers, sharks, seals, and coyotes.
