Western Sandpiper

Western Sandpiper at Bradford Beach, Milwaukee, WI.  Photographs taken September 11, 2013.

Western Sandpiper

Western Sandpiper

Binomial name: Calidris mauri

Category: Sandpipers, Phalaropes, and Allies

Description: Brown feathers on back with white underparts.  Dark legs and bill.

Size: 5.5” – 6.7” long, 10.2” – 14.6” wingspan

Weight: 0.8 oz. – 1.2 oz.

Habitat: Coastal tundras, shorelines, and mudflats

Diet: Small insects such as flies and beetles as well as spiders, mollusks, and small crustaceans

Nesting: The male builds several nests out of grasses, leaves, and lichens pressed into a mud flat or shoreline.  He will then sing to attract a mate, and she will choose the nest.  Both parents will incubate the eggs.  The typical clutch size is 3-5 eggs.  The female may stay and help care for the chicks, or she may leave before the eggs hatch and the male will be the sole caretaker.

Notes: Western Sandpipers breed in Siberia and Alaska, although migration will take them down the West Coast to California.  Very rarely are they seen as far east as the Midwest.

Western Sandpiper

Western Sandpiper

Western Sandpiper

Western Sandpiper

Western Sandpiper

Western Sandpiper

Western Sandpiper

Western Sandpiper

Western Sandpiper

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About admin

Window to Wildlife features the photography of Jim Edlhuber. A lifelong native of Wisconsin, Jim has been photographing wildlife for 20 years. He considers himself an avid photographer and is always trying to capture nature and wildlife through his lens. He is in several photography clubs and has won numerous awards for his work. In recent years, Jim has focused mostly on birding photography and finds it to be the most challenging.

3 Responses to Western Sandpiper

  1. Nancy Nabak says:

    GORGEOUS photos, Jim! Love them!

  2. Michael Matusinec says:

    Wow! Great series

  3. Pingback: Western Sandpiper at Bradford Beach in Milwaukee Wisconsin Sept 14, 2014 - Window to Wildlife - Photography by Jim Edlhuber

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