Semipalmated Sandpiper, Calidris pusilla |
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![]() A Semipalmated Sandpiper in its nesting habitat, sub-Arctic tundra on the edge of the Bering Sea at Nome. The bird shows the characteristic breeding plumage of the species: mostly dull gray-brown feathers and limited rufous, here confined to a few crown feathers and scapular edgings. The short blunt-tipped bill and the limited spotting on the breast also help distinguish Semipalmated from Western Sandpipers, which are similar sized, also black-legged, and likewise breed around Nome. Birds of North America Online reports that male Semipalmated arrive in Alaska a few days earlier than females in late May or early June and establish nesting territories with display flights and a few scrapes in the ground marking potential nests. The female pairs with the male by accepting the nest site and selecting one of the scrapes as a nest, which she then lines with leaves or grass; the feather and grass stalk carried by this bird may be nest lining. We saw constant display flights by male Semipalmated Sandpipers in the area around Nome between May 30 and June 4, 2011, accompanied by the distinctive putt-putt-putt of their "motorboat" vocalizations. |
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![]() A breeding-plumage Semipalmated Sandpiper on the shore of Long Island Sound in June; note the few scattered scapulars and tertials with rufous edging, the short straight bill, and the limited spotting on the breast. |