Lately, the tropics have brought us unpleasant things, such as humidity, rain storms, and hurricane turned tropical storm Henri. Typically, though, we associate the tropics with the arrival of more appealing experiences, such as warm weather and colorful song birds in the spring. For birders, this association could never be so true as it was in early August with the very exciting and wildly unexpected invasion of roseate spoonbills.

Spoonbills are heron-like wading birds that resemble the flamingo and behave somewhat like the rare wood storks of south Florida. They have the tall spindly legs, compact body, and long curved neck that we associate with our more familiar great blue heron. Spoonbills, however, have a different way of posturing their necks, and they have a wide flat beak for which they get the apropos moniker spoonbill. Close observation will reveal their distinct feeding habit that is reminiscent of the wood stork — both birds feed by sweeping their bills back and forth through shallow water.

The first sighting of a spoonbill was in late July, when a birder spotted one in-flight near Milford Point. Then, on August 2, another Connecticut birder spotted a spoonbill near Shell Beach in Guilford. It was the beginning of many subsequent sightings of this bird that is normally found in south Florida and the tropics. The third sighting occurred much farther inland in Canaan near the border of Massachusetts in the far western corner of the state.

Later, a spoonbill was recorded across the state line in Sheffield, Mass., marking the first ever sighting of a spoonbill in that state. Whether this was the same bird or another is unknown, but certainly more than one visited the Northeast. There were sightings in New Hampshire and in New York. The first sighting ever of a spoonbill in Connecticut was recorded in 2018.

The spoonbill in Sheffield was hanging out with a flock of great egrets. Herons, egrets, and shorebirds are now in migration south. They use coastal beaches, river banks, marshlands, agricultural puddles, and muddy lakeshore flats as stop-over sites. Although Hurricane Henri foiled the southward progress of these birds, it also created an opportunity for birders to locate and observe them before flying conditions improved.

Similarly, Henri, as many hurricanes do, provided birders with the opportunity to see a wide variety of pelagic species (birds that live at sea). Powerful storms force birds inland or otherwise disrupt their usual flight patterns. This storm did not prove to be as productive for offshore species as originally expected because the center shifted slightly east. Nevertheless, terns of many kinds showed up by the hundreds, including roseate, Forster’s, and even black terns. The storm also blew in many laughing gulls. Birders spotted dozens of Cory’s, great, and sooty shearwaters, too.

We were fortunate these tropical storms did not create a tremendous amount of damage, and though I don’t wish for storms, it is nice to know that sometimes a good thing can derive from an inconvenience. Hammonasset, and other coastal sites, will prove the best places to bird while the shorebirds continue migrating in August and into September. Let’s hope the tropics bring us more unexpected delights like the roseate spoonbills, and fewer rainstorms such as Henri. Now is the time to get to the coast before the summer sun fades.

Robert Tougias is a Colchester-based birder. His book "Birder on Berry Lane" is now available. You can email him questions at roberts90gtias@yahoo.com.