Semipalmated Plover

The Semipalmated Plover is probably the most common small plover on Cape Cod. These plovers gather in loose flocks during fall migration on open mudflats and sandy beaches. They are noted for their run and stop feeding style.  They have a high pitched, two part whistled call that sounds like “chu-wee.” This plover is easy to identify with a single dark breast band, a black-tipped orange bill, long orange legs along with white underparts and dark brown upperparts.
 
According to Wayne Petersen in Birds of New England, “there is tremendous pressure for these long distance migrants to complete their breeding duties before the end of the short northern summer. Fall migration is more relaxed, with adults first appearing on Cape Cod in July, followed in late August by the first juveniles.”

Thanks to local lighthouse and nature photographer, Brian Tague, I had a chance to join him on a shorebird trip to South Monomoy for a visit to the lighthouse and the Powder Hole area. We encounted lots of semipalmated plovers on our visit.  Here’s a little back ground on Monomoy National Wildlife Refuge. According to the National Wildlife Service “it was taken over by the US government just before World War II. Monomoy was established in 1944 to provide habitat for migratory birds. Sand stretches for eight miles (13 km) off the elbow of Cape Cod, forming the barrier islands of North and South Monomoy. In addition to the two islands, a 40 acre unit on Morris Island is also part of the refuge. This is where the headquarters and visitor center are located, including hiking trails and a scenic overlook of the Atlantic Ocean. The total size of the refuge is 7,604 acres (31 km²) with varied habitats of oceans, salt and freshwater marshes, dunes, freshwater ponds, and some historic manmade structures, such as the Monomoy Point Light and keeper's quarters (now decommissioned but open to the public). The refuge provides important resting, nesting and feeding habitat for migratory birds, including the Federally protected piping plover and roseate tern. More than ten species of seabirds, shorebirds, and waterbirds nest on the islands. The refuge also supports the second largest nesting colony of common terns on the Atlantic seaboard with over 8,000 nesting pairs.

 

Enjoy!

Craig Gibson
Woods Hole