Connecticut Audubon Bird Finder for September 10: Baird’s Sandpiper
Baird’s Sandpiper
Calidris bairdii
Where to find it: Baird’s Sandpipers breed in alpine tundra and dry coastal areas of the high arctic, and are a long-distance Central Flyway migrant to and from South America that strays east to Connecticut mainly in autumn. During migration, they are generally found on mudflats and grassy estuary, pond, and marsh edges, often in drier areas than those preferred by similar species.
Currently, one or two are being seen at the Shell Beach Avenue marshes in Branford, off Route 146, and at the pools off the Moraine Trail at Hammonasset Beach State Park in Madison.
How to find it: To view the Shell Beach Marshes, there is a pull-off on the north side of Route 146, 100 yards east of Shell Beach Avenue. Park at the pull-off and walk across the street. Scopes can be set up beyond the guardrail. Care should be taken crossing this busy road. A spotting scope is helpful when looking for shorebirds, as they often feed well out in the marsh, but the Baird’s have also been seen regularly in the pools and along the marsh edge near the road. At Hammonasset, park at the Meig’s Point parking lot and walk out the moraine tail. The pools are on the left.
What it looks like: Baird’s Sandpiper is a long-winged, medium-sized “peep” slightly larger than a Semipalmated Sandpiper. It is similar in size and shape to the White-rumped Sandpiper. Both have wingtips that extend beyond the tail and often cross above it; Baird’s are warm brown in color, dark-rumped, and often look hooded due to fine brown streaks on their head and breast. White-rumps are gray-toned, have arrowhead-shaped streaks down the flanks, and a more patterned face. Both have medium-sized slightly drooping bills. Baird’s has a completely dark bill and White-rumped shows a bit of red at the base of the lower mandible that is visible at close range. Nearly all Baird’s that occur in Connecticut are young birds-of-the-year with fresh, pale-edged, and very scalloped looking back and wing feathers.
What if the bird isn’t there? This is a good time of year to see shorebirds. Check the marshes at different tides. Changing tides cause the birds to move from place to place, either within the marsh, or to and from other sites. At Shell Beach, if the birds are not visible from Route 146, check the marsh from Shell Beach Avenue. Park on the road near the red barn, being careful not to block either the road or the barn driveway. At Hammonasset, check the Meig’s Point Nature Center Pools and the pools, pond edges, and fields near the Swan Pond at the west end of the park.
Conservation status: Baird’s Sandpiper is considered to be of least concern by the IUCN.
This week’s Bird Finder was written by Frank Gallo, Connecticut Audubon Society’s associate director of the Coastal Center at Milford Point. Bird Finder is edited by Tom Andersen.
Photo by Dominic Sherony, Carolinabirds.org.
