Birding Tips for Shorebird Migration Season

Habitat for Migrating Shorebirds

“What are some tips for finding migrating or wintering shorebirds?” asks Birds & Blooms reader Grace Huffman of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

Birding experts Kenn and Kimberly say, “Because of the name, some people may expect to find shorebirds mainly in coastal regions, but in some seasons they can be found throughout the interior of North America. Most of the true shorebirds— sandpipers, plovers and their relatives — are strongly migratory, and during migration they stop at any place along the edge of shallow water.

You can search for them on the edges of ponds or lakes, on sandbars in rivers, or in flooded farm fields. Some even prefer wide expanses of short grass. Only a few shorebirds spend the winter as far north as Oklahoma, but check along the edges of large, unfrozen reservoirs.”

Learn how to identify a solitary sandpiper.

Shorebird Hotspots Across the U.S.

West Coast

Copper River Delta, Cordova, Alaska

Almost every western sandpiper passes through the Copper River Delta each spring. Millions of dunlins and western sandpipers, as well as American golden-plovers, are found on the mudflats the first week of May, while black oystercatchers are seen on coastal rocks.

Gray’s Harbor National Wildlife Refuge, Hoquiam, Washington

This important stop along the migration route is within a couple of hours of Seattle and the other cities of Puget Sound. Late April is the time to visit, as hundreds of thousands of western and least sandpipers, dowitchers and more than a dozen other species pass through.

San Francisco Bay, San Francisco, California

Designated as an Important Bird Area by the National Audubon Society due to the incredible abundance of migrant shorebirds, the bay is an incredible place to go birding. Visit in March or April for the best chance of seeing waterfowl, shorebirds and raptors.

East Coast

Delaware Bay, Cape May, New Jersey

In May, thousands of shorebirds stop at Delaware Bay to feed on the eggs of spawning horseshoe crabs. This is an important place for threatened red knots, but dunlin, sanderlings, ruddy turnstones and many more join the feast.

Cape Romain National Wildlife Refuge, Awendaw, South Carolina

This mosaic of beaches, meadows and barrier islands makes the perfect shorebird habitat. Visit in March or April for migration, or any time from November through February for wintering species like black-bellied plovers, American oystercatchers and marbled godwits.

Inland Shores

Good shorebird-watching isn’t limited to the coasts. Here are a few prime spots for it in the American interior:

• Salt Plains National Wildlife Refuge, Oklahoma
• Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Utah
• Quivira National Wildlife Refuge, Kansas
• Tawas Point State Park, Michigan

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