Westport, MA (9/29)

Saturday was an absolutely beautiful day so we decided to take another trip out to the coast. Earlier in the week there had been reports of over 13,000 Monarch butterflies roosting for the night at Gooseberry Neck in Westport, MA. This huge congregation of insects is heading south towards their winter roost in Mexico. But, as they travel down the coast, they need to stop periodically to rest and refuel.

The big day at Gooseberry Neck was apparently on Monday and the reports diminished as the week went on. But this was still our best chance to see these quantities outside of a trip to Mexico so we decided to give it a try.

We got to Gooseberry Neck around 10:00. The morning was sunny but a bit cool so we were surprised to find Monarchs almost immediately. Almost all of them were intently feeding off the Goldenrod which was in full bloom all around us. We started to walk down the central road that leads out to the point counting as we went. But, it didn't take long before we gave up and just enjoyed the sights.

In addition to the Monarchs, Sulphurs, Cabbage Whites, and swarms of bees shared the blossoms. A Barn Spider hid under the Smartweed waiting for one of the pollinators to get caught in its web. Other butterflies included American Coppers and at least one Black Swallowtail.

But there was more than just butterflies to enjoy. A few Fowler's Toads hopped along the fringes of the road. And there were great birds too. The ocean was filled with Double-crested Cormorants, Common Eider, and at least one Common Loon. On land, we spotted a handfull of Eastern Phoebes swooping back and forth over the grass. We took a side path off the main road and found a small mixed flock of warblers including Yellow-rump, Palm, and Common Yellowthroat.

But the theme of the day was the Monarchs. Everywhere you looked there were six, eight, or ten of them altogether. We didn't quite make it all the way to the point before we started back to the parking lot. But I'd guess that we saw 200 - 300 on Gooseberry Neck alone.

As we got back to the parking lot, we happened upon a Common Buckeye (which is always a welcome sight). The parking lot was actually closed for the day so we had to hike across the causeway to get to the car. On one side of the causeway were 2 or 3 Semi-palmated Sandpipers picking food off the rocks. As the waves crashed into the causeway, the birds flew up just long enough to avoid getting wet. On a large rock on the opposite side of the causeway was what appeared to be hundreds of Sanderlings resting with the cormorants.

After finishing up at the neck, we headed over to the nearby Allen's Pond Massachusetts Audubon Sanctuary. After lunch we took a short loop around the property. In the meadow near the office there were dozens more Monarchs with a multitude of other butterflies. A Northern Harrier and Tree Swallows worked the field and Great Blue Herons and Great Egrets were spotted in the brackish pond. We even found a Blue Crab and some small fingerlings moving about in the shallows.

Then, as we were walking back along the rocky shore, I nearly stumbled onto the sighting of the day. I just happened to be looking down at the ground and only 24 inches or so from my feet were a small flock of Least Sandpipers. They walked about nervously but they didn't fly. We decided that they were just too tired from a night's migration to expend the energy to escape through the air. Amazingly, a couple even tucked their beaks under their wings as we stood there. I took a few pictures but I tried not to get too close and spook them.

We finished the loop and headed back to the sanctuary office. Our last bird sighting there was what I think was a Peregrine Falcon making its way south.

We finished the day with a quick trip over to Demarest Lloyd State Park. It was a bit hard to find but it was worth the extra trip. We had great looks at an Osprey and even heard some "forest" birds (Downy Woodpecker, White-breasted Nuthatch, Blue Jay, etc.) flittering about in the woods.