A few shorebirds winter along the Massachusetts coast but most of the ones we see in late summer and fall are moving through the area to their wintering grounds. This is a mixed flock that I photographed over a salt panne. The larger birds with a long, droopy bill are Dunlins. Some will stay all winter. The smallest birds with a short beak are Semi-palmated Sandpipers. There is also one medium sized bird with a small bill (right-center) that has a full white rump with no black bar running down the middle. This is an appropriately named White-rumped Sandpiper. It is fairly common but doesn’t appear in large numbers like the similar looking Semi-palmated Sandpiper.
Birds in My Viewfinder 