Spotting One In A Crowd

Learning to identify sandpipers amongst the myriad of shorebirds that visit Alberta is a daunting task, requiring field observation, doing some background research, taking a few photographs, listening for calls and hopefully having a knowledgeable “shorebirder” as a partner. Elaine is much better at shorebird identification and thankfully her experience helps this foggy-eyed birder get a clearer picture of shorebirds.
Relief for “shorebirders” can be captured in a name; Spotted Sandpiper. A shorebird with spots. Mmm …. there is joy somewhere along the shoreline. As the month of May ends, the Spotted sandpiper is indeed present through much of our province. On recent trips to Fish Creek and to Wyndham-Carseland Provincial Parks chances were indeed provided to watch and listen to this sandpiper. Ready to reproduce, this sandpiper sports a numerous black spots on a white breast. The bill is a notably orange at this time. Non-breeding adults lose their spots and the bill fades to a pale yellow.
With flowing waters nearby, Fish Creek and the Bow River provided rocky shorelines which are ideal for this bird on the move. Helping to identify this bird is its unique cadence and walking style. Often alone, this sandpiper teeters along, constantly bobbing its tail up and down. The teetering motion increases when the bird is nervous, stops when it is alarmed by a potential predator. When seeking sustenance, expect this sandpiper to crouch, move quickly and when protein calls, it will dart quickly to the source of the lunch bell.
Amazingly aware of potential predators and birders, the spotted sandpiper leaps into the air, uses short and quick wing beats, mixed with brief glides when needed The wings stay below the bird’s horizontal plane as it moves up, down or across the creek or river, all the while emitting a plaintive “weet-weet”.
Long before women’s liberation in the 1920s and 1960s, the female Spotted sandpiper, is the decision maker in a mating pair, leading the charge to rule the roost. A true reversal of roles makes this species extraordinary. Females generally decide where the nest will be located. Courtship rituals are initiated by the female, who swoops in flight with wings wide open, singing a “weet-weet” tune in the process. Females also engage with multiple mates, with four males being the average number. A miracle indeed, each of the males will incubate the eggs as well as care for the young, while the female defends the nesting site.
Once the male sandpipers have raised the chicks and summer slips away, the black breeding spots disappear and the bill color fades away. Migration distances are significant, with this sandpiper flying to the southern United States, as well as Central and South America to overwinter. With potential lives lasting twelve years, the Spotted Sandpiper is truly a wonder for its size. Imagine a truly “liberated” bird, making its home across all of North America as our most common sandpiper, well covered with black spots to help you, the birder, identify one of many similar looking shorebirds in Alberta. Be sure to spot your Spotted Sandpiper this year.