As much as I wanted to get a blog post out yesterday, we were just too busy. We have a full house of guests, some going, some going, so I just couldn't get around to it. Today, I'll finish up with my Sandpipers, realizing that there are MANY -- especially ocean shore sandpipers -- that I either don't have a photo or a good enough photo to show you. The Common Snipe is a mid-sized inland sandpiper about the size of the Long Billed Dowitcher. There are two subspecies, one found throughout Europe and Asia, which migrates to Africa for the winter, and another found throughout North America. The North American Common Snipe winters in the southern half of the United States and Mexico, and summers in the northern half of the United States and Canada. A small pocket of year round residents can be found in central Washington, eastern Oregon, Utah, Wyoming, and Colorado. The Common Snipe is a solitary bird and when seen is usually at the edge of a damp, often muddy, habitat. It uses its long bill to probe deeply into the mud in search of small animals to eat.
Common Snipe
photo taken in Eastern Oregon
Common Snipe
photo taken in Central Washington
Lastly, Wilson's Phalarope. Wilson's Phalarope is a small, but strikingly beautiful sandpiper. It summers in the northwestern United States, and migrates through the southern half on its way to the central Andes in South America. Unlike waders, the Wilson's Phalarope will often swim in a small, rapid circle, forming a small whirlpool. This action raises up food from the bottom of shallow water. It then reaches into the outskirts of the vortex with its bill, plucking small insects and crustaceans caught up in the swirl. This method of feeding makes inland marshes, pools, lakes and river shores the ideal place to be.
Wilson's Phalarope
photo taken at Ninepipe National Wildlife Refuge, Montana
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