Looking for Shorebirds along the New Hampshire seacoast

Well the alarm went off at 3am and off we went, in 3 hours Montana and I would be birding the coast of New Hampshire with Terry Bronson of the N.H. Audubon Seacoast chapter. We arrived early and got in a little early morning birding before the 8am start. I was able to find a Greater Yellow legged Sandpiper and a Buff-breasted Sandpiper behind the Yankee Fisherman’s coop in SeaBrook harbor. The Buff-breasted Sandpiper is bird number 244 on my Birding Big Year list, more on that later.
We joined nine very hearty birders at 8am in the RAIN and started out birding by checking the mudflats in Seabrook harbor. Sanderlings, Semi-palmated Plovers, American Black- bellied Plovers and White-rumped Sandpipers were just a few of the birds we found there.

Baird's sandpiper

That was the beginning to a very wet day with many new shorebirds and ended with a few new friends. I had a great time birding the sea coast, but learning the names and places to go birding on the NH coastline will opened up new reasons to head over to theN.H. seacoast to go birding. Plus getting to meet Terry Bronson, Len Medlock and Steve Mirick and finally put a face with the names that I have been reading about on the New Hampshire e-bird list was a nice opportunity for me. And the birding was great too!

Partial list and photos:

BUFF-BREASTED SANDPIPER 1

BLACK-BELLIED PLOVER 20 male still showing some breading plumage

this next image is a juvenile Black-bellied Plover

Semipalmated Plover many

Greater Yellowlegs--many

Spotted Sandpiper--1

Ruddy Turnstone 6 photo bellow molting male Ruddy Turnstone

Sanderling many

Dunlin 2

Semipalmated Sandpiper many

BAIRD'S SANDPIPER 1

See another photo of Baird's-sandpiper by LenMedlock at: http://www.pbase.com/lmedlock/bairds-sandpiper

WHITE-RUMPED SANDPIPER 7

LEASTED SANDPIPER 1

Short-billed Dowitcher several

Bonaparte's Gull--7

Laughing Gull 2 1 adult & 1 juvenile

Ring-billed Gull many

Herring Gull many

Great Black-backed Gull many

LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL 1

note Lesser Black-backed gull has yellow legs while the Great black-backed has pink legs

FORSTER'S TERN 7

Common Tern 1

Belted Kingfisher

American Crow 9

Barn Swallow 2

European Starling hundreds on phone wires

Cedar Waxwing 1

Bobolink 1 nice female Bobolink views were enjoyed by the whole group

NELSON'S SHARP-TAILED SPARROW 1 seen by everyone but me

here's some links to Steve Mirick's photos of the Nelson's Sharp-tailed Sparrow :

http://home.comcast.net/~smirick/photos/nelsonssharptailedsparrowinland4.jpg

http://home.comcast.net/~smirick/photos/nelsonssharptailedsparrowinland1.jpg

http://home.comcast.net/~smirick/photos/nelsonssharptailedsparrowinland2.jpg

http://home.comcast.net/~smirick/photos/nelsonssharptailedsparrowinland3.jpg

Savannah Sparrow 3 doesn't this Savannah Sparrow look mad, must have been all the rain?

Song Sparrow 5

Common Eider many

Double-crested Cormorants many

Great Blue Heron 1

Great Egret 5

Snowy Egret 3

HORNED GREBE 1

The 8 birds in caps helped put my Birding Big Year total at 251 to date. I must say that I never thought I would make it to 200, what a surprise this year is turning out to be. Anyhow, If anyone reading this is thinking about joining these folks at the New Hampshire Audubon Seacoast chapter (click link to find out more about them and their Birding Trips) for one of their Birding trips by all means do. You'll have a great time, maybe find some new birds and make a new friend or two. I know I did!

Have a safe journey

Peter Manship

Story and photos copyright Peter Manship except where noted,

those are copyright of the noted photographer