gallery - shorebirds

Dunlin

Dunlin

Dunlins are hardy birds that winter farther north than any other shorebird.  This fall and winter they will be along the Washington coast from late October to early May.  Major stopover points for them are the tidal flats and coastal estuaries around Willapa Bay and Grays Harbor and the Samish and Skagit Flats where they forage on marine and freshwater invertebrates by probing a few centimeters into the mud or fine-grained sand.

Baird's Sandpiper

Baird's Sandpiper

Baird’s Sandpiper is not seen very often in Washington and because of this it poses an identification challenge for many birders. However, its slightly larger size when compared to other peeps; its lack of red or rufous coloration; and its penchant for foraging higher on beaches and in drier areas, all help to separate this peep from the others. 

Marbled Godwit

Marbled Godwit

The Marbled Godwit (MAGO) is about 18" long with a 29" wingspan and weighs 13 oz. (370g). The genus name Limosa (lie-MOH-sah) is from the Latin limus, meaning "muddy," for its favorite habitat, mudflats. The species name fedoa (FED-oh-ah) is the Latin version of an old and now unknown English word meaning "marbled." - for its mottled plumage.

Western Sandpiper

Western Sandpiper

The Western Sandpiper is part of the genus Calidris from the Greek kalidris which was used by Aristotle for a speckled waterbird.  Mauri is from Ernest Mauri (1791-1836) an Italian botanist and a friend of Charles Bonaparte (1803-1857), who named this bird for him.  They co-authored a book on Italian fauna.  The bird is the western counterpart to the Semipalmated Sandpiper Calidris pusilla and the common name designates this location.