Pedal to the Metal
Today my post is about a little bird that I enjoy watching run on the sandy beach back and forth from the ebbing surf, looking for the small invertebrates or any of their favorite food. They are very fast runners and they are sometimes a bit difficult to photograph because of their constant moving.
The Sanderling (Calidris alba) is a small wading bird. It is a circumpolar Arctic breeder, and is a long-distance migrant, wintering south to South America, South Europe, Africa, and Australia. It is highly gregarious in winter, sometimes forming large flocks on coastal mudflats or sandy beaches.
It is somewhat unlike other sandpipers in appearance, which has led to the suggestion that it should be placed into a monotypic genus Crocethia. A more recent review (Thomas et al., 2004) indicates, however, that the sanderling is a fairly typical “stint” or small sandpiper and should be separated from the large knots with its closest relatives in a distinct genus.
This bird is similar in size to a dunlin, but stouter, with a thick bill. It shows a strong white wing-bar in flight, and runs along the sandy beaches it prefers with a characteristic “bicycling” action of its legs, stopping frequently to pick small food items. It eats small crabs and other small invertebrates. In spring, birds migrating north from South America consume large numbers of horseshoe crab eggs in the Delaware Bay area.
Text excerpts © Wikipedia – Photographs © HJ Ruiz – Avian101
H.J. Ruiz - Avian101 
An interesting post with good illustrations.
Thanks Susan, I was going to dedicate it to Tom (Mr.T) but he might not like it. 🙂
Beautiful photos and great info, HJ. I like the image of you on the Florida beach being entertained by the sanderlings.
I enjoy everything! Life is to be enjoyed and Nature to be admired! I was shooting pictures on the beach, it was certainly foggy and this old man approached me and asked me about the lens I’m using, after I answered his question he told me that his wife loves photography. He wanted to buy her a big lens and that was his reason for asking about it. He also asked me about the lens performance, so I said I’ll show you! Do you see those birds there at the edge of the shore. He looked and said -What birds? Don’t you see those sanderlings? He said – I don’t see any birds! He sounded a bit annoyed. I shot one picture and then showed it to him on the camera’s display screen and he laughed hard and was so delighted! He shook my hand an left saying I’m buying that lens!
Thanks Jet! 🙂
Lovely photos and interesting description.
Thanks so much Clare! 🙂
A very pretty bird.
Thanks Tom! 🙂
I think this is the bird I’ve seen over here, could that be? I will check it out again. Looks pretty much the same.
Yes, why not?. Thanks Rosa! 🙂
Love Sanderlings. Great pictures!
Thanks a lot Lisa! 🙂
Great shots! They are so difficult to capture as they run all the time and change directions in the process 🙂
So…You know about it eh Tiny? 🙂
Super informative post HJ. Great shots as well.
Thanks Dave! 🙂
Some coastal birds are rather hyperactive! I often find them difficult to identify because they are constantly moving about and similar in coloration from a distance. Great information and pics. Thanks. 🙂
I know! Thanks for sharing Jane! 🙂
Wonderful post, HJ – really enjoyed it. 🙂
Thank you very much Sharifah! 🙂