Last month, this series featured the “Peeps of Alameda,” four small similar sandpipers. Now we move on to somewhat larger sandpipers.
The peeps are all in one genus (the classification just above species), so they are closely related, and they all nest in the very far North. The medium-sized sandpipers discussed here are more diverse. They are all in the Scolopacidae order, the large group called “Sandpipers and allies.” Unlike the peeps, they belong to three different genuses, and breed in various places.
Like the peeps, these medium-sized sandpipers find what they need for the winter here on the Alameda bayshore—plentiful food, warmer weather, and a congenial spot to rest and fuel up for the trip back to the breeding grounds when spring arrives.
Actitis macularius
Spotted sandpipers, at 7 to 7.9 inches long, are about the same size as dunlins, but their behavior is very different. Unlike the dunlin, spotted sandpipers (sometimes called “spotties”) have yellow legs. In the fall and winter when we see them, spotties have a black bill, grayish-brown back, a little light brown on their breast, and very light belly. So why are they named spotted sandpipers? In the breeding season, spotted sandpipers have bold dark spots that clearly distinguish them from the other sandpipers. In all seasons, they are distinguished by a characteristic teetering movement, so it looks like they are constantly bobbing their tails. In Alameda, spotties seem not to be as numerous as the peeps or some of other sandpipers, but they are seen climbing on and around rocks near water, such as at Crab Cove. Their flight is unique—low over the water and with stiff, shallow wing beats.
The spotted sandpiper has a very large breeding area—across all of North America, roughly above 36 to 37 degrees latitudes, with occasional dips down in parts of Arizona and New Mexico, but not including the Bay Area or nearby regions. Spotties can do this because they feed on a large variety of animal matter and can live in almost all habitats near water. They forage both by probing with their bills into sand and mud, visually sighting prey, and lunging at it in the air or picking it off surfaces.
Limnodromus scolopaceusLimnodromus greseus
Dowitchers are a step above spotties in length, measuring between 10 and 11.5 inches. There are two species of dowitchers—long-billed and short-billed. Differences between the two species are hard to detect in the winter when observing at a distance. While female long-billed dowitchers have longer bills than the short-billed species, the males often do not. If you hear them calling, the call of the short-billed is a “tu-tu-tu” while the long-billed has a “keek” call…