This summer – especially when it was hot and humid – I saved my daily hour-long walk for the end of the day, and moved it to the beach. The air temperature was always significantly lower there, and the sea breeze made the humidity a lot more tolerable!
For the past five years or so, I’ve been spending much of my free time with an avid birder. He’s more tuned into avian activity than I am, and as a result I’m now noticing things in nature that – before – I hadn’t looked close enough to see. Especially birds.
Most of our beach walks this summer were at Green Harbor or Duxbury, two spots that also happen to be nesting sites for plover. Earlier in the season we delighted in seeing plover chicks scurry across the sand on their spindly legs. More recently, we’ve enjoyed watching them poke around in the mud, hunting for food.
The plovers will be gone soon, heading south for the winter. Summer will turn to fall. Because the South Shore is situated on one of the major North American migration routes, there will still be plenty of shore birds to observe. I asked Doug Lowry of Mass Audubon Southeast what we might expect to see in the upcoming months.
If you enjoy birds, consider the Mass Audubon’s monthly program, “Birding in a Changing Climate on October 17. NSRWA’s Brian Taylor will co-host. Learn more at massaudubon.org.
Also, I encourage you to follow NSRWA’s “365 Nature Places to Know,” our Explore South Shore program for 2024. Every morning, we highlight one of the region’s best nature places on Facebook and Instagram. Most Thursdays, we feature a spot that birders love. Not on social media? We’ve listed all the locations on our website as well!
Duxbury Beach
The fall migration season for shore birds is quite lengthy -- beginning in early July and continuing all the way into November. Duxbury Beach is a prime location for spotting them on the move. Among my favorites here are swallows, which gather in giant flocks an hour or so before sunset, swirling through the air in mesmerizing patterns before settling down in the marsh. In addition, Lowry recommends surveying the mud flats north of the Powder Point Bridge at low tide, where you’re likely to spy great blue herons, great egrets, and snowy egrets in large numbers, feasting on minnows and mummichogs from the marsh creeks. There is a small public parking area on the inland side of the Powder Point Bridge.
Green Harbor Beach
Migration, which often takes place at night, is exhausting. A bird can lose half its body weight. When it lands, it needs nourishment and rest. In August, Green Harbor is a great place to view semi-palmated sandpipers and plovers. During higher tides, you’ll find them nestled into the cobble, enjoying some down time. At lower tides, turn your gaze to the mud at the water’s edge, where they’ll likely be hunting for food. Lowry offers this simple way to differentiate the two: sandpipers hunt by feel, in a bent-over position, while plovers hunt by sight, upright and looking around. For parking, a Marshfield resident sticker in required in-season, in the town lots on Avon Street, Beach Street, and at Beach Street extension.
The Spit
This sand bar near the mouth of the North River in Scituate is a nesting area for plover. You’re likely to see many of the same species mentioned above, especially in the muddy areas on the inland side. Also, keep your eyes on the wrack line – the strip of seaweed, grass, and other detritus that forms along the high tide boundary – where you might find ruddy turnstones poking around for a meal. The Spit is best accessed by boat. There is no public parking nearby.
Rexhame Beach
Situated between the Atlantic and the South River, this large public beach in Marshfield has a lot to offer. On the ocean, side, watch for sanderlings chasing waves while hunting for ghost crabs. In the mud on the river side, look for willets, greater and lesser yellowlegs, and whimbrels, whose down-curved bill is ideal for consuming fiddler crabs. And keep an eye out for peregrine falcons, which follow the shore birds. Ample on-site parking at the end of Standish Street. In season, a Marshfield Beach sticker or a fee is required.
Damon’s Point
This spot in Marshfield Hills, at the site of an old railroad bridge, provides an excellent vantage point to the extensive salt marshes at the mouth of the North River. Look for great blue herons, great egrets and snowy egrets hunting the marsh creeks at lower tides. In the fall, you might still be able to catch glimpses of osprey here too, before they fly away to warmer climes. On the ride out to the point, consider pausing at Murdock’s Pond, at the intersection of Summer and Prospect Streets. In August and September, you might see black crowned night herons in the trees, among the low branches. There is limited parking at Damon’s Point, with a Marshfield beach sticker required for most spots.
Scituate Harborwalk
Later in the season, head to Scituate Harbor, where you can stroll along the water’s edge for about a half mile. In October and November, the harbor is a great spot to see loons and grebes, along with such sea ducks as scoters and common eiders. In addition, you might find black ducks in the estuary nearby. Ample on-site parking on Cole Parkway.
by Kezia Bacon
September 2024
Kezia Bacon's articles appear courtesy of the North and South Rivers Watershed Association, a local non-profit organization devoted to protecting our waters. For membership information and a copy of their latest newsletter, contact NSRWA at (781) 659-8168 or visit www.nsrwa.org. You will also find 27+ years of Kezia’s Nature columns there. For more information about the Explore South Shore 2024 Challenge, visit https://www.nsrwa.org/get-outdoors/2024-explore-south-shore/
