Blustery Squall Highlights Lloyd Center’s 35th Annual New Year’s Gooseberry Walk
Wind blew snow flurries across the parking lot and formed whitecaps along the west shore, while waves crashing against the causeway sent sea spray over the road. These are common occurrences at renowned Gooseberry Neck Island in Westport during the winter, where the Lloyd Center holds its annual New Year’s Day Walk and conducts other programs during the year. Oftentimes these conditions result in closure of the access gate by the Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) but the presence of the Lloyd Center (including four hearty walk participants that included one child) and confirmation that conditions were safe, meant the show must go on. For an event that rarely gets canceled due to conditions, and in the spirit of plunging into 2026, the Center’s 35th Annual New Year’s Walk at Gooseberry was happening. A group of kids in bathing suits took diving into the New Year literally in their annual “Polar Plunge”, so wimping out as we stood there chilly, while wearing winter parkas, was not an option.
Gooseberry Island, a small peninsula that juts south from between Horseneck Beach and the Rhode Island Sound to the west, and Allens Pond and Buzzards Bay to the east, provides the opportunity to witness the resilience of a rugged landscape. Attached to a shoreline under constant erosive forces, Gooseberry remains anchored with its low shrub scrub interior whose growth is limited by the rough “maritime” conditions, including constant salt spray. Gooseberry has an easily traversed, lightly cobbled flat berm mixed with patches of Crepidula (Slipper Shells) on the east shore. To the west there is a less navigable, more eroded, steep-banked rockier shoreline. While getting in their exercise, visitors gain a sense of the dynamic geomorphology of the site with this variable terrain. The manufactured causeway is an artificial “landform” that both impacts mainland erosion by impeding natural water flow, and also provides optimal feeding habitat for waterbirds along its borders where marine food sources accumulate.
The brisk initial conditions, in stark contrast to last year’s calm, balmy walk, were sure to deter even the most avid birders, and it was hard to envision avian life under whipping cold winds and flurries. But this allowed the group to gain a sense of the harsh conditions coastal birds must adapt to during a New England winter, and we were rewarded with great views along the calmer east shore of the Southcoast waterbird community during winter that includes, gulls, waterfowl, and shorebirds.
In addition to a blanket of the common gulls floating just offshore, the group had stellar close-up looks at shorebirds feeding in the rockier intertidal at low tide along the shore. A large roaming flock of Sanderlings in their white plumage probed away, a few of the longer-billed Dunlin also seen within the flock. These are the two most commonly encountered winter shorebirds in our region. A sizable flock of Purple Sandpipers, a species of growing concern, was seen feeding at close range in the rockier intertidal areas. This was an exceptional look at a bird usually seen in low numbers and further offshore clinging to rocks with its large feed adapted to this habit. But the exposed rocks at low tide provided good habitat close to shore, where attendees saw the bright orange feet and orange base of the bill that are diagnostic. Waterfowl species seen further offshore included Black Scoter, Greater Scaup, Common Eider, and Bufflehead, with other waterbirds including Horned Grebe and Red-throated Loon.
While cloudy conditions obscured the viewscape, the group paused at the southeast corner to gaze out on the rocky bar and toward the Elizabeth Islands, where some land and one of the near 50 wind turbines was visible. We then continued around the point along the west shore, where the group saw less birds, walking into the wind and over cobble before the turn back onto the trail. Our last stop was the causeway, with the calmer east shore offering some close up views of Long-tailed Ducks, and an excellent close up view of Bonaparte’s Gulls, commonly seen in winter fluttering in the waves with tern-like behavior.
More recently, the first weekly Wednesday Bird Walk occurred with looks at the large flocks of Blue Jays, American Goldfinches, and a Hairy Woodpecker all at the Center’s feeders. On the water, American Black Ducks, Bufflehead, Hooded Merganser, and a Great Blue Heron were seen. Check out our calendar and come birding with us on the many more walks offered in 2026!