OK, so I’m on the South Lubec Sand Flats at 2 p.m this afternoon. watching a few hundred semipalmated sandpipers who are understandably nervous, due to a peregrine falcon that passed by a half hour ago. Suddenly, there’s a nighthawk passing low over the bar. It’s fast, maneuverable and configured with pointed wings, much like a peregrine. It’s silhouetted against the bright sky, so the white wing stripes are difficult to see. Would any of the sandpipers panic at the approach of this pointed-winged beast?
Nope. All remained placid. I’m always amazed at how fast shorebirds can discern the difference between predator and non-predator.
Otherwise, I report that shorebird numbers in Lubec have declined, not unexpectedly. Least sandpiper numbers are a quarter of what they were two weeks ago, but the semipalmateds have increased somewhat. Most of the semipalmated plovers are now immatures. There used to be WAY more white-rumps on the flats . (Today, there were none.) The two red knots were a nice sighting, but there were NO black-bellied plovers. What’s up with that?
Bob Duchesne
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