Thursday, July 17, 2014

Sanderlings in a sandstorm, Plymouth Beach

Sanderlings brace against blowing sand on Plymouth Beach, Massachusetts
A pair of sanderlings brace against blowing sand in a stiff wind on Plymouth Beach

It took me far too long to "discover" the shorebird haven that is Plymouth Beach. I had seen promising reports on eBird since moving to the area, but during my first two years in Massachusetts, I primarily went north to Plum Island when I was looking for shorebirds to photograph. Last March though, I finally made the drive south to Plymouth, and it very quickly became a favorite location. In the offseason (from October through March) the beach is even dog-friendly, and my wife and pup joined me for this trip. It was a bit unfortunate that the wind was whipping around the whole time, as my poor terrier got more than a little sand-blasted during the 6-mile plus round trip. Like these sanderlings though, he seemed no worse for the wear, as he hunkered down and leaned into the wind and blowing sand.

View more of my photos of sanderlings.


3 comments:

  1. The Sanderlings are cute, pretty shot!

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    1. Thanks, Eileen! It certainly was a different sort of setting to photograph them in with all of the blowing sand.

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  2. Amazing what these little waders have to put up with in their daily lives. Excellent image Pat but I'm not sure it will encourage me to go out in a sandstorm.

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