More on tagged Sanderlings on Plymouth Beach

Sanderling with leg tag, Plymouth Beach, Plymouth, MA, Aug 23, 2012

As I mentioned in my post about my trip down to Plymouth in late August we came across several leg tagged Sanderlings and I have now gotten some information back concerning the birds observed that day.  There were a total of nine separate individuals seen and below is the information on each of these.  I have included the original location and date of capture as well as other dates and locations of sightings of the birds.

Tag #      Original capture site/date                           Other sighting location/date     

J0P         Villas Beaches, NJ   5/11/11                          none previous

JX8         Cooks Beach-North, NJ  6/3/09                    Plymouth Beach, MA  8/11/12

C7Y        Kimbles Beach, NJ  5/28/12                          none previous

N0X        Villas Beaches, NJ   5/11/11                         none previous

N3U       Villas Beaches, NJ   5/19/11                          Topsail Beach, NC   9/17/11

1KJ         Villas Beaches, NJ   5/27/09                          Cooks Beach South, NJ   5/15/10

           (recaptured Kimbles Beach, NJ 5/26/12)                   Kimbles Beach, NJ   6/2/10

                                                                                         Plymouth Beach, MA   8/13/12

4PY         Sunray Beach Preserve, NJ  5/27/10          Stone Harbor Point, NJ  4/21/11

                                                                                          Stone Harbor Point, NJ   4/30/12

YH5        Mispillion Harbor, DE  5/15/11                    Reeds Beach, NJ  5/26/11

                                                                                          Mispillion Harbor, DE   5/28/11

                                                                                          Port Mahon, DE   5/20/12

                                                                                          Plymouth Beach, MA   8/3/12

NU8         Villas Beaches, NJ   6/1/10                          Plymouth Beach, MA   8/3/12    

                                                                                          Plymouth Beach, MA   8/13/12

 

All the birds were originally tagged at various spots along Delaware Bay with two of the birds tagged in 2009, two in 2010, four in 2011 and one in 2012.   A quick look at the data reveals some interesting bits of information such as the fidelity to specific locations on similar dates (birds seen at same location years apart).  At least two of the birds (YH5 and NU8) had been present on Plymouth Beach for almost three weeks (8/3 until 8/23).  Three of the birds had no previous sightings following initial capture until seen on 8/23/12 and two of those birds were tagged in spring 2011.  A fascinating look at the travels of these tiny shorebirds as they move between breeding and wintering grounds.  Be on the lookout for tagged shorebirds and if you find any enter the data at http://www.bandedbirds.org/