Another bird that is fun to look for this time of year is the Pectoral Sandpiper. You won’t find it in your backyard, but if you’re close to a park with a pond that has marshy edges, you may find this shorebird probing in the mud for insects. They can also be found in flooded fields.
This is another bird species that travels incredibly long distances each year during spring and fall migration (12,000 or more miles round-trip!). Pectoral Sandpipers winter in South America but spend the breeding season in the Arctic tundra and northern Canada.
These birds see more of the world in one year than most people will see in a lifetime!
Unfortunately this species has declined significantly, and is part of the Partners in Flight Yellow Watch List.
Jill and I spotted these birds in late April in the same agricultural pond as the Bonaparte’s Gulls.