As the colder weather starts to roll in and snow begins to fly, it makes me envious of the warmer climates where many shorebirds are spending their winters. We all love to watch the Piping Plovers, Spotted Sandpipers, and Willets nest and raise their young over the summer, but have you ever wondered where they disappear to for the winter months? And what birds—if any—might be on Maine beaches over the winter? Like many other birds, shorebirds are migratory birds which means they sometimes travel thousands of miles between their breeding and wintering grounds.
Piping Plovers are small pale sand-colored birds with a white belly, black band on the forehead and neck, bright orange legs, and bright orange beak with a black tip. Many Mainers admire the endangered Piping Plover, which raises their cotton ball chicks along the sandy beaches in the summertime. Piping Plovers leave Maine right around the same time kids are heading back to school. These tiny birds spend their winters anywhere from North Carolina all the way down to the Bahamas to enjoy a warmer climate for the winter months before heading back to their breeding grounds in March.
Another common shorebird to see nesting in Maine is the Willet, known for its distinctive high-pitched alarm call. Willets are large shorebirds that are gray or brown and while in flight display a striking white-and-black stripe along each wing. Willets are a nocturnal migrant with one of the earliest migration departures of North American sandpipers. As early as June, they head down to northern South America, the Caribbean, and the coastal areas of the southern United States to spend their winters.
Spotted Sandpipers are small shorebirds with round black spots on their chests (during the breeding season). Most commonly known for their “teeter and bob” behavior, Spotted Sandpipers can be found nesting along beaches, lake, and river shorelines throughout Maine’s summer months. These birds head south for winter too, keeping warm along the southern United States, central, and South America.
Countless other shorebirds, such as Semipalmated Sandpipers or Black-bellied Plovers, are commonly seen along Maine’s shorelines in spring and fall, though they are just stopping by between wintering and breeding sites to rest and fuel up mid-journey. Even as late as November, you might see flocks of these birds taking advantage of our meandering coastline as a stopover before heading to wintering grounds, some as far as southern South America.
So what shorebirds do we see on the beaches throughout our winter months?
Sanderlings! These wave chasers have spent their summer breeding in the high arctic tundra of North America. Some sanderlings spend their winters along sandy beaches in Maine, while others will migrate more than 6,000 miles to overwinter in temperate South America. Be mindful of the Sanderlings while you visit beaches in Maine this winter. It’s a great time to have your dog on the beach, but try to avoid the large flocks of them feeding by the shoreline. They came a long way to be here for the winter so let’s give them the space they deserve so come springtime they can fly back to the arctic tundra to nest and raise their chicks.
Another shorebird you can find along the rocky coastlines in Maine during the winter months is the Purple Sandpiper. This is a small pot-bellied shorebird with a long, drooping bill. Purple sandpipers are a hardy bird that breeds way up in arctic Canada and have the northernmost winter range of any shorebird.
See if you spot these during the winter, because before you know it, the plovers will be back ready for another nesting season!
Top photo: Sanderlings on Seawall Beach, photo by Nick Lund.
