Nature Note #185: Life is a Beach

The sound of the ocean slapping the rocks of the causeway heralded the arrival of another car to the rutted parking lot. Over the sea wall, Horseneck Beach with its daredevil para-sailers danced over the distant swells while gulls dark and light swirled over the mile long spit jutting into Buzzard's Bay. Alison and I stepped out of the car and looked around. It was good to be home.*

As we stood on the rocky shores of Gooseberry Neck in Westport, Massachusetts, we watched as sanderlings, scampered back and forth along the sands while being chaperoned by herring gulls. We sat on a few boulders that lead down the eastern side of the neck and watched the relay. The sanderlings would run towards the retreating surf to pick at the minute crustaceans and periwinkles that were caught in the pull of water and sand. After busily picking at the sands for only a few moments, they were chased back by the rushing waves to begin their relay again. 

The gulls, being far less particular about their food choices, plodded along behind them. Overlooking the periwinkles and slipper snails, they seemed to focus in on the mussels and crab shells that littered the shore. With tourist season over, their regular supply of crap food had dried up and now relegated them to search for those harder to find organic, locavore alternatives. We trekked further up the beach. Packed sand gave way to cobble and rotting seaweed. We watched the sanderling flock retract, as a pair with a dog approached. As they passed, they would return further along and away from the perceived canine menace. 

Along the piles of seaweed, butter-butts flitted and picked at sand flies that gathered in the lobes and flaps. For those not up on their wild bird nicknames, those butter-butts are actually yellow-rumped or myrtle warblers. In the eastern and central United States, we have myrtle warblers recognized by a black mask, yellow crown and rump, and white throat. They can be distinguished from the westerly Audubon's by their yellow throat and grayer face. 

Though a member of the wood warbler family, yellow-rumps are found continent-wide (their range is only rivaled by yellow warblers and common yellowthroats) and are common autumn and winter visitors to the east coast, with some wintering as far north as New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and parts of southern New England. Their ability to survive so far north is credited to an omnivorous diet allowing them to consume small insects and grubs when available and to switch to berries when such prey becomes sparse. 

We looked out over the bay. The wind whipped over the water and encouraged us to return inland for lunch. As we walked back, we bickered about the mystery identity of a songbird. It had appeared out of the brush and thorns, sitting momentarily on a twig before escaping into the thatch nearby. It looked like a junco, but something seemed to be off. For one thing, the tail was slightly forked meaning it was likely a finch of some kind. But the plumage was off somehow. It was a buffy gold color and in the photo** seemed to be sporting a conical pink beak, pale wing bars, and a pale eyering. If it weren't so finch-like, it could be a convincing fall warbler.

"It must be a junco." Alison insisted. "Look at the beak and face."

She pointed at the photographs.

"No. That tail is bothering me." I replied. "It's too finch-like."

I pointed out another detail.

"And look at those wing bars. Definitely not a junco."

We had no idea was it was and wouldn't until about a week later...

It was an American goldfinch, by the way.

Annoying, right?

*Apologies are in order. October was an extremely trying month hence the lack of updates, but I wanted to start up again this month. This time of year is the turning point before the plunge into winter.