August 22, 2010 - Northern Nesters
Welcome to the Nature Notebook.

Shorebird migration is in full swing. Sandpipers, plovers, and other birds that spent the summer months in the Arctic regions of Canada are moving south. Although they typically concentrate on extensive coastal and estuary mudflats as they migrate, sometimes they turn up in unlikely places. North central Pennsylvania is one of those. When coastal storms blow in from the east they sometimes catch flocks of migrating shorebirds, forcing them westward. Buffetted by wind and rain these tired migrants need a place to rest. Shorebirds can end up at ponds, lakes and streamsides to wait out the storms, recover and feed until better weather prevails. Then, after only a brief visit, they head southward again, returning to more typical migration routes. These accidental visitors are a real treat for local birdwatchers who rarely see these northern nesters.

This is PPL's naturalist, Jon Beam, with the Nature Notebook for WVIA.