Semipalmated sandpipers flock back to the Bay of Fundy

Migrating sandpipers draw crowds Birders are flocking to Johnson’s Mills, N.B., to see sandpipers by the thousands.

As shorebirds begin to flock back to the Bay of Fundy for their annual visit, bird enthusiasts are making their way to Johnson’s Mills, N.B., to catch a glimpse.

“I’m actually on my way home from visiting friends in Nova Scotia,” said Daphne Davey from Prince Edward Island.

“My friend in Sackville told me about this center, which I never heard of before and since I’m an enthusiastic amateur bird watcher, I thought since I have the day to travel home, I’d make a detour.”

Every summer more than a quarter of a million semipalmated sandpipers return to the Bay of Fundy, including Cobequid Bay, Cumberland Basin, Minas Basin and Shepody Bay.

It’s a critical stop during their migration.

“Because of our vast mudflats, it’s easy for them to feed on the various invertebrate creatures that live inside the mudflats,” said Keeghan Stephen, a shorebird interpreter with the Nature Conservancy of Canada.

“It’s here where they feed and double their weight in order to make their 72 hour migration down to South America.”

For reference, the Nature Conservancy of Canada says when the sandpipers arrive they weigh 20 grams, which is about the weight of a large strawberry.

“Back on July 11, which was very early in the season, we saw about 50 birds,” said Stephen.

He says the birds typically stick around for two to three weeks and come to the shore to rest during high tide, all in preparation for their journey ahead.

“It’s during that period that they rest, they sleep, they clean themselves, really to save energy between feeding, which they do practically 24/7,” said Stephen.

“If they don’t get the rest that they need, they won’t be able to make their 72hr flight straight down to South America. They fly over the water and they can’t swim, so if there’s not enough energy, it’s bad news.”

The Johnson’s Mills Shorebird Reserve and Interpretive Centre is open seven days a week during the birds migration in July and August. It allows visitors a chance to see the birds, get information from expert staff and keep people off the beach during high tide.

While shorebird populations are down by 40 per cent in North America since 1970, officials say this season has been typical compared to recent years so far.

“Our peak was 70,000 on Aug. 4, but we’re still expecting to see more birds,” said Stephen.

“The sandpipers are the most numerous birds that we have at the centre, but we also do have least sandpipers, white-rumped sandpipers, plovers and semipalmated plovers and black belly plovers,” he explained.

The Nature Conservancy of Canada will be hosting an open house at the Johnson’s Mills Shorebird Centre on Aug. 12 to coincide with the Tantramar Sandpiper Festival in Dorchester on August 11 to 13. It will include a shuttle bus running between 9:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. from the village to the centre.

“I think everybody should be birdwatchers,” said Davey. “It is so cool. You never know what you’re going to see. You think, ‘oh well it’s just the same old, same old,’ but that’s not always the case and anyways, the same old same old are so interesting.”

“Birds have personalities, they have ways of living, you can learn so much from them and it’s just a great, great hobby.”

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