Least "Mudpiper"

Least Sandpiper (Calidris minutilla) at Montezuma N.W.R., NY on May 13 - © Dave Spier (#D045935)

What's in a name? Take the compound word "sandpiper." Sand refers to the beach where these shorebirds are often found. The Lake Ontario shoreline of New York quickly comes to mind. Piper refers to the sound made by some species, although it's more of a peep. There's a group of small sandpipers, all similar in appearance, collectively nicknamed "peeps," in reference to their voices. Among these, the smallest is the Least Sandpiper, Calidris minutilla. Not only is it the smallest to pass through New York, it is the smallest shorebird in the world.

Least Sandpipers begin showing up in New York's Finger Lakes Region in April, peak through May, then decline in June and early July as the last of the birds fly to the Canadian tundra to nest and breed. Early migrants that failed to nest begin returning in early July and this reverse flow continues to build through the summer, peaks in September and trails off to end abruptly before November. The eBird bar chart for Wayne and Seneca Counties (NY) will illustrate this - but you can create a chart for any state or county you choose.

Least Sandpiper (Calidris minutilla) at Montezuma N.W.R., NY on May 18 - © Dave Spier (#D029504)

Most of our eastern birds seem to winter along the Atlantic coast from North Carolina to Florida, or across the Gulf coast south into Mexico and northern South America.  You can see the entire eBird range map for Least Sandpipers (or any species) on the Explore Data page.

Dark feathers with buffy or rusty edges give sandpipers a scaly appearance on the back and wings. The belly is usually white while the head, neck and chest are various shades of brown. The black bill, used to probe for food, is longer and thinner than the bills of songbirds. Most small sandpipers have black legs, but here is the one distinguishing feature of least's; their legs are yellowish or greenish-yellow.

Least "mudpiper" at Montezuma N.W.R., NY on May 18 - © Dave Spier (#D029488)

The length of a shorebird's bill determines its feeding style and diet. A very short bill, like that of a Semipalmated Plover, limits it to feeding on the surface. At the other extreme, very long bills like those of snipe, dowitchers and curlews, allow them to probe deeply into mud. Inbetween are most of the sandpipers which probe to a shallow depth and capture aquatic invertebrates like insects, small crustaceans, worms, and mollusks such as small clams and mussels. The Least Sandpiper prefers to feed on mudflats giving it the nickname "mud peep." Does that mean we should change its name to the least mudpiper?

Corrections, comments and questions are always welcome at northeastnaturalist@yahoo.com or connect through my Facebook page or photo page or Linked-in. Other nature and geology topics can be found on the parallel blogs Adirondack Naturalist and Heading Out.  For more information on the Finger Lakes region, visit ILovetheFingerLakes.com

The photo below is a migrating Least Sandpiper on the Lake Onatrio shore at Charlotte Beach (a.k.a. Ontario Beach Park), Rochester, NY on September 18 - © Dave Spier (#1148-13 scanned from a slide)

Solitary Sandpiper

Solitary Sandpiper

-- © Dave Spier

Yes, it was alone, and yes, this is typical behavior for this species. They often travel by themselves or small flocks at most. After spending the winter in South and Central America, Southern Mexico or the Caribbean, these birds stop briefly at the Montezuma Wetlands Complex to refuel and be on their way to Canada. We see them from mid-April to mid-May, but the peak is during the first week of May, so the one at Malone Unit #1 on Savannah Spring Lake Road (Wayne County, New York) was right on schedule. I found a second one at the edge of a puddle in a farm field, another typical habitat for this species.

The Solitary Sandpiper (Tringa solitaria) is eight or nine inches long and thinly built. The white eye ring, speckled dark wing and darker "shoulder" bend are keys to identification. The somewhat similar but chunkier Pectoral Sandpiper lacks these features and has a more densely streaked breast with an abrupt lower border. The legs of both species are olive-yellow and both have medium-sized bills. The Solitary’s rump and center of the tail are dark, but these features can be hard to see. They become more important when separating the Solitary from its close relative, the slightly larger Lesser Yellowlegs (Tringa flavipes) that has a white rump and mostly white tail.

After shorebirds reach their breeding grounds in Canada, the males of other species defend a territory, build a nest and usually help with incubation. The Solitary has a somewhat different tactic, though; it lays its eggs in the deserted tree nests of songbirds including those of robins, blackbirds, kingbirds, jays and waxwings.

For most shorebirds, the parents usually split up after the eggs hatch and only the father remains to care for the chicks. The female leaves a few days after hatching and sets off on a leisurely migration south. Here in the Finger Lakes Region we see this as a longer stay for shorebirds on the return trip, beginning in July for some species and lasting through October for others (like the Dunlin). Most Solitary Sandpipers pass through central New York from mid-July to late August with a few birds lingering until early October, but global warming may shift those dates.

Questions and corrections may be sent to The Northeast Naturalist. For more information on birds around the Wetlands Complex, visit the Montezuma Birding Trail website: http://montezumabirding.webs.com There is a special page describing birding hotspots in the Town of Savannah.

Timberdoodles

American Woodcock at Assateague National Seashore - © Dave Spier

American Woodcock -- © Dave Spier

I am alive and well, but again seriously sidetracked by eBird... (continued below)

Given the recent warm weather in Upstate New York, it was no surprise that "spring" birds started arriving in winter (at least technically).  Okay, it really is calendar spring now and the birds are still arriving earlier than normal.

I'm not talking about all the robins.  Some of them spent the winter here if you knew where to look.  I'm talking about American Woodcocks (Scolopax minor), a type of shorebird that never sets foot on a beach.  Woodcocks are upland birds that prefer open, grassy patches where they can strut their stuff.  You'll seldom find them in the middle of the day, and if you do, they'll be silent.  After sunset and before sunrise are the best times to listen for their nasal "peenting" calls and their aerial courtship flights accompanied by fluttering wing-whistles.  What do I mean by "peeenting," a description often used in field guides?  I think it sounds more like a buzzy "jeeep," but don't take my word for it. Go to the website All About Birds (http:/www.allaboutbirds.org), type in "woodcock," select "American Woodcock" and then scroll down to "Typical Voice" on the left side and click the play icon (a triangle pointing right toward the slider).

Woodcocks have long, flexible bills designed to probe in soft earth for earthworms, their main dietary item.  Although the birds prefer grassy areas with open sky for courtship, they feed and nest in or next to damp, bottomland thickets, but not flooded swamps.  Cryptic feather patterns keep them extremely well camouflaged during the day, as you can see in the accompanying photo I took in February at Assateague National Seashore.  We unintentionally camped next to his courtship ground.  Every evening at dusk and early every morning we could hear him doing his thing.

On a related note, there are a number of woodcock reports on the Eaton Birding Club's Facebook page.  The club covers Wayne, Ontario, Seneca and Yates Counties in the Finger Lakes region of New York.  This is an open group and anyone can join for free, or simply check the page for sightings and upcoming events without actually joining.  I also encourage you to visit the club's website and become a supporting member which offers additional benefits.

For more information, or to ask a question, e-mail me.

I had many blog columns drafted for the winter, but, alas, my mind was preoccupied with entering eBird checklists.  It took me much of January just to finish entering my 2011 data.  I was simultaneously working on a project to enter data for other birders in the Blue Ridge region of southwestern Virginia.  When I was entering the remainder of my data from our February, 2011 trip to Charleston, SC, I noticed a serious lack of eBird data for Carroll County, VA, which we traverse on I-77.  Many of the weeks were totally devoid of reports, so I began contacting local birders and entering their data for them.  Following this year's February trip to Assateague (instead of Charleston), I've been busy keeping up with my own checklists.