The rarest bird I am ever going to see in Rhode Island

Tereks Sandpiper
Photo courtesy of my friend Sue Palmer who saw it this morning 

   I'm working Sunday like I always do and I get an alert on my phone from my text group. My friend Jan StJean found a Black Skimmer and a  weird looking sandpiper at Napatree. My reaction was the same as it always is when I get a report like this on a Sunday. I tilted my head back and thought "Why does it have to be f-ing Napatree?" I am on call all day Sundays and Napatree is a 4 hour trip. It is 90 minute drive each way and a 30 minute walk. That doesn't even count the actual time birding. Throw in there's beach traffic, lack of parking, and the 2 hour parking limit if you can get a spot. Why does it always have to be fucking Napatree!

  A few minutes later I get another alert that the bird is a Tereks Sandpiper. You may ask what the hell is that, don't worry, so did everybody else. It turns out a Tereks Sandpiper is an Asian shorebird. They summer in Siberia and they winter along the west coast of Africa. Yes, I had to Google it just like every other birder in Rhode Island except for like three people.

   Tereks Sandpiper isn't just a rare bird in Rhode Island they have only been seen in the lower 48 states two other times. One in California, and one in Mass in 1990! It is always dangerous for me to go to far from home on a Sunday. Anything could happen at work. A closer could get sick, a toaster could break, etc... I was really not planning on going, it is a long ride/walk, and birds can fly away. However, to sweeten the deal, one of my favorite birds had been seen there, Black Skimmer, and another bird I needed for the year was seen that morning, Bonaparte Gull. So I figured I could get something out of it.

I got to Napatree at 3:30. Laurie dropped me off and went shopping so I didn't have to worry about parking. I made the 30 minute walk in 20 minutes (as did everyone that could) and was sweaty when I got to a group of two dozen birders. I knew before I got there, thanks to texts, that the bird hadn't been seen in two hours, I was not hopeful.

A photo I took of a Black Skimmer a couple years ago

   So I waited and chatted with people I knew. First one of the skimmers showed up. I got great looks of it skimming the lagoon. Since it is one of my favorite birds and I hadn't seen one this year, I felt like I didn't waste my time. Next a Forster's Tern flew by. Another bird I needed for the year.

   Then a Bonaparte Gull flew in and started swimming near shore. I felt pretty good even without the mega-rarity. Then we got a report from Connecticut birders that it was at Sandy Point (which is across Little Narragansett Bay. Then another report came in that it was flying back. Sure enough, about five minutes later someone called out "there it is". The Tereks Sandpiper was flying with two Spotted Sandipers. Most of the two dozen people got a good look of it flying. I wish it would have landed but the 20-30 second flight around the lagoon was sufficient to "call it"  I got to see its most distinguishing feature, its upturned bill. It was bigger than the Spotteds too. After it flew back out of sight there was a collective sigh, and excitement. There were extensive air high fives (pandemic). There couldn't have been happier birders.

Photo of a Forster's Tern

At this point Laurie had been waiting long enough. The bird flew back towards Sandy Point and it was time to go.This bird is so unbelievably rare in the United States that people from across the country are coming for it. One guy drove all night to see it this morning. He was from Ohio. The good news is it was there again today and many others saw it. I didn't get any pictures yesterday. That's okay, I'm a birder. And I got to see the bird!

THANKS JAN!