By Dianna Moore

Grays Harbor Audubon Society

I admit this is one of my favorite shorebirds, despite not seeing it out here on the beaches. I have only seen them one at a time, and the usual spot is on the Hoquiam River bank near the back of Deidra’s Deli. On a nice day, eating outside on the deck, one is often able to walk over to the rail and find one teetering along on the rocks lining the river bank. Pretty easy spotting! This photo by Gregg Thompson is of a very young bird learning to find its own meal.

General Description: The Spotted Sandpiper is the most widespread sandpiper in North America and can be found from sea level to sub-alpine lakes, from northern forest edge to open fields, marshes and rocky shores. They can swim, dive, and even perch on wires. It is a medium-sized shorebird, about 7.5 inches long, with a wingspan of 15 inches, and weighing approximately 1.5 ounces. In breeding plumage (May through September) they have a brown back with darker spots, a white breast with dark spots, a yellowish-orange bill with a dark tip, and yellowish-orange legs. In winter they have a white breast and a plain, grayish-brown back and the bill is pale yellow. In flight their white inner wings and a thin white wing stripe can be seen.

Habitat: Spotted Sandpipers can be found near water; ponds, streams, marshes, lakes, and rivers all attract this bird to feed and breed. They can be found near fresh water during breeding season but often winter near salt water.

Behavior: This bird can usually be seen bobbing and teetering along the edge of the water as it hunts for food. Rather than the usual up and down, sewing machine motion feeding method, the Spotted Sandpiper maintains a more horizontal profile, leaning forward, giving it the look of a bird in a hurry. It feeds off the surface of the water or ground, often jabbing into vegetation or even snatching insects out of the air. Its flight is described as “fluttery”, flying low across the water with shallow, stiff, wingbeats, with bursts of flapping and gliding.

Diet: Spotted Sandpipers eat a large variety of foods, including aquatic insects, worms, crustaceans, mollusks, carrion, and small fish.

Nesting: The females are larger than males and they pick and defend the nesting territories. They then display to attract a mate, mate with him, lay the eggs, then he does all the parenting. The nest is on a raised site on the ground, partially hidden by rocks, logs, or grass, and is made of moss, dried grasses, and feathers. It is lined with feathers and fine grass. He incubates four eggs for 19 to 22 days while the female heads off to find another mate where the process is repeated up to four times. The young leave the nest soon after hatching and are able to find their own food but the males tend them for about four weeks. The young can fly at 15 days but are really not strong flyers until 18 days of age.

Migration: Some populations of Spotted Sandpipers migrate short distances, like to the coast. Some migrate down into the southern states. There are some birds that migrate to South America, leaving in late July or August with the juveniles leaving in September or October and returning in May.

Conservation Status: The population of Spotted Sandpipers in the state of Washington has increased significantly since 1966. Where they are declining, it is due to the loss of habitat, or to the use of pesticides.

When and Where to Find on Grays Harbor: During the May through September breeding season, they can most often be seen along the Hoquiam River or out on the Oyhut Wildlife Area of Ocean Shores. In the winter, they seem to prefer the coastal marshes, the edges of the local sewage treatment ponds, along the streams and rivers, and the agricultural ponds of the east county. Just watch for the teetering and bobbing bird along the rocks and mud.