Tadeusz Strzelecki Each summer, a quiet migration gets under way for North American shorebirds. Measured in sheer numbers, the volume is astounding as millions of birds collect along the Atlantic coast. What is both miraculous and unnerving is that the North Atlantic Flyway guides them directly through some of the densest population centers on earth virtually unnoticed. Except for delighted bird watchers and worried managers at local airports, most New Yorkers are unaware that outside their windows, birds are coursing along an ancient migration route.
Many New York City shorelines afford a chance to stand with your boots in the mud, surrounded by the sights, smells and sounds of the birds’ journey. There is a near-divine beauty in the throngs of shorebirds wheeling, banking and flying in unison, or simply resting or feeding on a beach. Challenged by weather and hounded by predators, most of the birds have hundreds, if not thousands, of miles yet to fly to reach their overwintering grounds.
Shorebirds are a rather loosely defined group that includes familiar species like sandpipers, plovers and killdeers as well as the more exotic avocets, stilts and whimbrels. They are beautifully adapted to life along the coast, often sporting gracefully curved bills for probing in mud; long, brightly colored legs for wading in shallow water; or eye-catching wing patterns that are thought to be visual cues to stitch flocks together or confuse predators.
Generally as they pass through the city on their southbound migrations, the birds have shed their bright breeding plumage and have assumed subtler warm tans and browns. This “fall migration†is something of a misnomer. It actually begins in the sweltering heat of mid-August, and reaches its peak in September. It is more properly a postbreeding migration, the result of a successfully completed nesting cycle in the brief northern summer.
Remarkably, young birds are not schooled in migration routes. Neither were their parents, nor theirs before them. Migration is still one of the world’s great mysteries. Directions to points north and south may be hard-wired into the brains of these birds, as they follow geologic features such as shorelines or mountain ranges, invisible magnetic fields or the positions of the moon, stars and planets. This could account for birds’ steadfast dedication to certain routes and stopovers like New York City. This site fidelity may imperil the birds, as rampant development, or even natural events, can eliminate critically placed resources necessary for successful migration.
Some of New York City’s best shorebird observation sites are still recovering from the effects of Hurricane Sandy. Among them are the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge’s famous East and West Ponds, the Salt Marsh Nature Center’s Mill Basin trails, and Pelham Bay’s alternately rocky and muddy shorelines. You’ll see the birds in the air and all around you. Shorebird migrations are impressive and provocative, a must-see for urban naturalists. Best yet, they are participatory. To enjoy them, you need only stick your feet in the mud.
