Sandpipers, One Foot on Land, the Other in Water

Black-Necked Stilt (left):

Though appearing dainty, this shorebird does well in a variety of habitats, natural or artificial. They inhabit shallow wetlands with little vegetation. When not nesting or preening, they wade in shallow waters in search of aquatic invertebrates, crustaceans, insects, snails, and tiny fish. They nest on the ground just above water, and both build the nest. Both sexes participate in incubation and chick-rearing, though males appear to accompany older chicks more often than females. The pair bond is maintained through nesting and chick rearing, but if a nest fails, stilts sometimes begin again with a different mate. Stilts nest in loose colonies and are considered semicolonial, defending individual territories (and guarding mates) but joining with other nesting stilts to drive out threats. 

Stilt populations are stable, though listed as a Priority Bird with the Audubon Society. Because stilts are wetland birds, they are vulnerable to wetland destruction, degradation, and especially pollution, including pesticides, heavy metals, and other elements such as selenium. Stilts are sometimes monitored as indicators of contaminated irrigation water in the environment at large. 

Spotted Sandpiper (right center): 

The Spotted Sandpiper is the most widespread breeding sandpiper in North America, and challenging to spot. They’re common near most kinds of freshwater, including rivers and streams and the sea coast. They eat mostly invertebrates. They reverse gender roles, the female arriving earlier to establish a breeding territory and courting up to 4 males (polyandry). Some pairs are monogamous, though females can store sperm for up to a month, so the eggs she lays for one male may actually be from a previous mating. The male incubates and cares for the young. 

Spotted Sandpiper populations are stable, but development and loss of their wetland habitat or compromised water quality from pesticides, herbicides, or other runoff can harm these sandpipers’ ability to feed and raise young.

Semipalmated Sandpiper (left center):

The Semipalmated Sandpiper gets its common name from the short webs between its toes (“palmated” means webbed). They spend their breeding summers in Northern Canada and the New England area coasts, migrating through the U.S. by the thousands. They winter primarily in South America, and studies have shown that they may make a non-stop flight of nearly 2000 miles from New England or eastern Canada to the South American coast.

Like other sandpipers, they forage along shorelines for aquatic insects and crustaceans, sometimes probing in the mud. Young leave the nest hours after hatching, and often the male will be the one to stay with them until ready to fly. 

These sandpipers remain on the Yellow Watch List for population declines. Hunting, mostly in South America, appears to be a source of population declines, followed by the destruction or modification of wetlands and environmental pollutants. Climate change is forecast to have adverse effects on nesting areas, migratory stopover habitats, and wintering habitats.

Willet (in flight top right):

These larger grayish shorebirds aren’t particularly noticeable or flashy until they fly or sing. Their song is a loud “pill-will-willet!” and marks their arrival to spring breeding grounds. In flight, their wings show black with a thick white stripe across the middle. They are true grassland shorebirds, breeding in the Great Plains and interior of the Northwest, then migrating to coastal regions for the winter as far as South America. Some of these western birds migrate far to the east, occurring all along the Atlantic Coast in fall and winter.

Like nearly all shorebirds, they eat aquatic invertebrates, small fish, spiders, insects, worms, and some clams along the shores they inhabit. Willet pairs often remain together for several years and return to the same nest sites. Males loudly defend their nesting and feeding territories, and help incubate and care for young. 

Willets and other shorebirds were once a popular food. In his famous Birds of America accounts, John James Audubon wrote that Willet eggs were tasty and the young “grow rapidly, become fat and juicy, and by the time they are able to fly, afford excellent food.” By the early 1900s, Willets had almost vanished north of Virginia. The Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918 banned market hunting and marked the start of the Willet’s comeback. The conversion of native grasslands and wetlands to agricultural use also led to declines. They remain on the Yellow Watch list with the threat of endangerment without conservation action. 

Original mixed media on raw stretched canvas with maple float frame. Alternative hardwood frames available upon request.

Sources: All About Birds and Audubon Society.