Sandpipers: Part II

The Marbled Godwit is a "crow-sized" shorebird with similar coloration to the Long Billed Curlew, except that the Godwit has a long straight - slightly upturned pinkish bill. They breed in the northern prairies of Western Canada; the Northcentral Great Plains in the United States. They winter along Pacific Coast as well as the South Atlantic Coast. They forage by probing on mudflats in marshes or beaches. Their population has declined from both hunting and loss of breeding habitat (from farming and development). They are quite noisy in flight as they migrate from the plains to the coasts.

Marbled Godwit

photo taken along Washington Coast

The Sanderling is a midsized sandpiper at about 8 inches. It breeds in the summer months on the Arctic Tundra; then migrates south to ocean beaches, sandbars, and mudflats. It is also occasionally found on lakeshores and rivers. It is a very common and widespread sandpiper and can be found on most of the world's beaches. As a wave comes in, the Sanderling runs up the beach just ahead of the breaker, then sprints after the retreating water to feed on any crustaceans and mollusks left exposed.

Sanderling

photo taken at Humboldt Bay, California

Next a series of photos of the Western Sandpiper taken at March Point on Padilla Bay in Washington State. The Western Sandpiper is a small sandpiper of about 6 inches. It has the same migratory pattern as the Sanderling. They differ from the Sanderling in their feeding patterns. They flock to areas of low tide. And so, as the tides change so do the Western Sandpipers.

Western Sandpiper

photo taken at Padilla Bay, Washington

Western Sandpiper

photo taken at Padilla Bay, Washington

Western Sandpiper

photo taken at Padilla Bay, Washington

Western Sandpiper

photo taken at Padilla Bay, Washington