I got a message from Brian Z. this morning regarding a shorebird he had at the Holyoke Dam in South Hadley that he suspected was a Sanderling (a fairly rare shorebird inland). After looking at a couple of photos he sent the Sanderling was confirmed and a number of birders made their way down to the dam and got the bird. I was stuck at work until late morning and was not able to get down to the dam until after eleven but thankfully the bird stuck around. Unfortunately it stayed somewhat hidden very close to the wall of the dam and the accessible vantage point. After a fair amount of waiting it popped out briefly before once again going out of view. Although my shots didn't capture it the bird retained some rufous breeding colors (not a plumage we get to see too often inland in western Mass.). I eventually got some photos of the bird as it was seen from nearly directly overhead...an odd look at shorebirds for sure. Sanderling is a less than annual visitor to the county.
No comments:
Post a Comment