Sightings will be sparse until probably March since most everything is frozen over. But March 15 kicks off my official start to looking for sandpiper and plovers.

Sibley’s lists Red-necked Grebes as in breeding plumage February thru August but this fellow is still mostly in breeding plumage- though admittedly shabby. I’ve personally never seen a bird not in plain old non-breeding plumage and looking mostly brownish. The other individual present at the lake is your typical non-breeding plumage bird.

These Greater Yellowlegs at Plymouth over the weekend could be the last sandpipers of the season. Three were present in the wet field in front. The main pool is back to full of water now that the river has raised to almost 12 feet, eliminating all the mudflats.

I was very pleased to find a mid-October push of Pipers at Plymouth Flats this morning. Three species are still in their peak migration: White-rumped, Dunlin, and Golden-Plovers. Plymouth held two out of three of those species (1 White-rumped, 6 Dunlin). Besides that was a large group of 16 Pectoral, 8 Greater Yellowlegs, 1 Lesser Yellowlegs, about 30 Killdeer, and an early morning flyby Wilson’s Snipe.

Also of note is Harvey’s Lake sightings are on the rise. Yesterday had an FOS Bonaparte’s Gull (very far out and I’m still iffy as to whether I think it was definitely Boney’s and not something better) and the day before saw the first Common Loons of the season.

This juvenile White-rumped isn’t the first I’ve had locally this year, but the first I managed a photo of, even if not a great photo. I really should have tried harder but with the push I wanted to get to a second location.

Another 6 Dunlin appeared all winter plumaged.

I got to spend some time digiscoping a group of Pecs down Plymouth Flats. Check out some more photos at blog.nepabirdproject.org.