Capping the coldest and cloudiest May in 88 years, New England was battered by heavy rain, high winds and pounding surf from an unusually sustained "nor'easter" for several days. Such storms are a normal part of the region's charms in winter, but are rare by late May. The severe weather disrupted bird migration patterns and caused major mortality among some species, such as Purple Martin (Progne subis), but did produce some spectacular birding opportunities, including what was probably the biggest "wreck" of Red Phalaropes (Phalaropus fulicarius) and Red-necked Phalaropes (P. lobatus) ever recorded in this area. Thousands of these birds, which normally migrate far out at sea and are rarely seen in breeding plumage from land, were pushed ashore by the storm all along the coast from Cape Cod north to New Hampshire, with several found miles inland. Other pelagic species seen from shore in unusually high numbers included Arctic Tern (Sterna paradisaea), Wilson's Storm-Petrel (Oceanites oceanicus) and Leach's Storm-Petrel (Oceanodroma leucorhoa). Once the storm began to subside, the birds quickly resumed their migration to their arctic breeding grounds and disappeared within a couple of days. These birds were in Plum Cove in Gloucester on May 26.