Horseneck Beach Westport Massachusetts

It was a beautiful spring morning and my son and I traveled to Horseneck Beach, so I could see my first piping plover of the season. What struck me first about Horseneck beach, was all the the destruction on the beach secondary to the winter storms. Most of the beach is covered in rocks, large clamshells, broken shells and seaweed.

There are huge piles of sand at the top of the beach, where I gather that the state put the sand at the end of the season to prevent it from being washed into the ocean.

On the dunes the plants us just starting to grow and on top of some of the bushes song sparrows are heralding in the coming of spring.

There were a number of gannets flying by. The usual gulls were present. Running along the beach were Sanderlings.

The areas where the piping plovers and the terns will nest were already roped off and signs posted so that people would not disturb the habitat. I noticed a piping plover running around on the beach, so I went low on the sand, and let the piping plover come to me so I could get a picture of it close to the ground.

I did the same thing with the Sanderlings, rather than try to chase them down the beach I just lay down and let them come to me. It is a much easier way of obtaining photographs.