As soon as I reached Heceta Beach I could see several hundred peeps gathered in a feeding flock along a cove of very shallow water on the sand. As often happens the whole flock suddenly launched into the air, swirling and rising up to fifty feet above the sand. From out of this living maelstrom flew a Peregrine with a sandpiper in its talons.
I got these shots as the Peregrine flew away from the beach, above the stunted dune pines and rooftops.
The mixed flock of Western and Least Sandpipers and Semipalmated Plover moved on down the beach. Other flocks later replaced them. Here’s my peeps gallery:
A bit later this afternoon I stood still on Heceta Beach north of Florence. It wasn’t long before a wave of shorebirds swept down from a bit further north and settled on the wet sand right in front of me. Each time the flock paniced and lifted into the air, its circling led it further south. The migration imperative is in full strength.
Heceta Beach, Lane, US-OR. Aug 27, 2013 8:30 AM.19 species
Surf Scoter
Double-crested Cormorant (Phalacrocorax auritus) X
Osprey (Pandion haliaetus) 1
Semipalmated Plover (Charadrius semipalmatus) 200
Sanderling (Calidris alba) 1
Buff-breasted Sandpiper 1
Western Sandpiper (Calidris mauri) 1000
Least Sandpiper (Calidris minutilla) 4000
Short-billed Dowitcher (Limnodromus griseus) 3
Red-necked Phalarope (Phalaropus lobatus) 2
Western Gull (Larus occidentalis) 40
California Gull (Larus californicus) 1
Eurasian Collared-Dove (Streptopelia decaocto) 4
Downy Woodpecker (Picoides pubescens) 1
Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus) 1
Steller’s Jay (Cyanocitta stelleri) 2
American Crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos) 15
Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica) 2
American Robin (Turdus migratorius) 1
Cedar Waxwing (Bombycilla cedrorum) 2
Towheeblog 
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