Massachusetts is not for want of lovely New England coastline and beaches, though if you're a birder, one of the most sought after stretches of shore is located adjacent to the quaint northern town of Newburyport. Not to be confused with the mysteriously spooky Plum Island of Animal Disease Center fame (located on the northeastern tip of Long Island, NY), Plum Island, MA is a stunning and quite disease-free, 11-mile long barrier island, just barely separated from the mainland by the slim Parker River. It's namesake, the beach-plum bush, grows in great numbers around the island, and in the fall produce small fruits that apparently make delicious jam. Though the northern portion of the island is inhabited by seasonal and year-round residents, the southern portion is a protected wildlife refuge filled with all manner of native creatures, the most popular being winged.
Established in 1942, the Parker River National Wildlife Refuge is one of the premier bird-watching spots in the country - over 300 species have been recorded there, from ducks, gulls, and plovers, to herons, egrets, owls, and ospreys. The landscape is off limits to random foot traffic, but neat boardwalks traverse marshes and thickets, and carefully marked trails lead through dunes and grasslands. Even without binoculars, plentiful feathered activity can be spotted flitting through the vegetation, bobbing in saltwater, or gliding and hovering above. Some of the flashiest entertainers around the beach are male red-winged blackbirds - these striking birds are jet black with brilliant red shoulder patches, or epaulets, and a bordering yellow wingbar. As is common with many birds, the female red-winged blackbird is smaller in size than the male and much less vibrant in color - her feathers are a flecked mix of blackish-brown, rusty-gold, and cream.
Red-winged blackbirds are songbirds that nest in tall grasses, rushes, and cattails, where one male controls a loose territory of up to 10 females. During breeding season the showy males will exhibit proudly, often from the spindly perch of a single reed or stalk of grass - holding their wings out just enough to showcase the red epaulets, and chuffing up their chest and shoulders in what is known as the "perched display", they'll belt out a song of "oak-a-lee" and attempt to intimidate rivals. Illustrated below is a male red-wing displaying from a patch of dry marsh grass - the object of his attention, a rival male, assumed a matching stance in a nearby bush and I watched them trade threats until the distraction of a female zooming through caused them both to take off in chase. For some reason I have never been particularly enthusiastic about watching birds, though I've come to realize, through my brief but thrilling recent introduction to this hobby, that all it often takes is an ounce of patience, and the dedication of steady eyes, to open up a world of avian drama. And I am reminded of the incredible E.O. Wilson (world's most distinguished scholar of ants), who developed his passion for ants by simply getting down on the ground as a child and passing whole afternoons just watching them; following them from the anthill, tagging along on their trails back and forth for food... Wilson has always been a great proponent of taking the time to observe the nature around you - even the most ubiquitous, mundane, minute life tells a story, if we open our eyes and ears to discover it.
March through May is Piping Plover nesting season at Plum Island, and since these petit shorebirds are considered threatened, portions of the open beach, where they prefer to lay their eggs, are closed and carefully monitored. Khaki and white in coloring, and only about the size of a sparrow, Piping Plovers are busy little things, scurrying along the tide's edge on vibrant orange legs as they forage for insects, worms, and tiny crustaceans - they're speedy enough in fact that when threatened, they'll attempt to run away first, only taking flight if really necessary. Instead of weaving a nest out of vegetation, plovers create "scrapes" in the high shore areas of the beach. Following courtship, the male will scratch out a series of depressions in the sand. After choosing her favorite, the female will "decorate" it with shells and other beach debris to camouflage it, though on account of their relatively exposed real estate, plover nests are easily disturbed by predators, humans, and even storms and high tides, hence the conservation efforts to protect them.
If you're considering a trip to Plum Island, for the birds or just a bit of splendid beach, I highly recommend a pit stop to or from at divinely convenient Bob Lobster. Best. Fried. Clams. Ever. (and then I had an ice cream cone...)