After I'd finished up the usual round of work and house work, I had a little bit of time to myself, and I decided to spend it by running down to Napatree Point in Watch Hill to walk the barrier beach and, since the tide was obligingly low, seeing if any of the migrating shorebirds had set up temporary shop at the lagoon and mudflat areas that adjoin Little Narragansett Bay. The answer, I'm pretty sure, was quickly yes, but, since I hadn't been to Napatree in several months, it was hard to be sure, since I didn't know for certain whether the birds I was likely to observe were new arrivals or old residents. Because most of the so-called "wind birds" are long-distance travelers, I'm guessing that the hub-bub on the sandbars was caused by newcomers enjoying a temporary respite after a hard journey south from the Arctic breeding grounds. Both the smaller "peeps" known as Sanderings and the larger Short-billed Dowitchers shown here are definitely Far North breeders, so my visit yielded at least a pair of bona fide visitors... and clear evidence that the annual southbound migration has begun.