Fall Migration Has Begun

Semi-palmated plover, August 2010 (photo by Bobby Greene) Short-billed dowitchers, July 2013 (photo by Steve Gosser) Long-billed dowitcher (photo from Wikimedia) Ruddy Turnstone, August 2009 (photo by Bobby Greene) Lesser yellowlegs, July 2013 (photo by Steve Gosser) Sanderling, July 2013 (photo by Steve Gosser) Least sandpiper (photo from Wikimedia) Pectoral sandpiper (photo from Wikimedia) 30 July 2026 While songbirds wrap up the breeding season, some shorebirds are already on their way south. This week at Presque Isle State Park’s Gull Point — 26-29 July — eBirders reported eight species of migrating shorebirds, illustrated in the slideshow above. Semipalmated Plover (Charadrius semipalmatus) Short-billed Dowitcher (Limnodromus griseus) Long-billed Dowitcher (Limnodromus scolopaceus) Ruddy Turnstone (Arenaria interpres) Lesser Yellowlegs (Tringa flavipes) Sanderling (Calidris alba) Least Sandpiper (Calidris minutilla) Pectoral Sandpiper (Calidris melanotos) Each species has its own…