at need. Under water it progresses by using its wings which
it spreads quite widely, and in shallow water it can go to
the bottom and run a short distance with head held low and
tail raised like an ouzel or dipper.
G. M. Sutton (1925) describes the behavior of two birds which he
startled by a close sudden approach. In the first quotation he shows
that the spotted sandpiper readily dives while on the wing and
continues its flight under water and in the second quotation he shows
the bird’s ability to rise directly into the air from beneath the
water, a feat impossible for many water birds.
When the bird first flushed, its wings were fully spread,
and it was headed for the open water of the lake. Upon
seeing me towering above it, however, it turned its course
abruptly downward, and without the slightest hesitation
flew straight into the water. With wings fully outspread
and legs kicking it made its way rather slowly along the
sandy bottom, until it was about 8 feet out, in water over
3 feet deep. I pursued the bird, thinking at the time,
strangely enough, that it was wounded. When I reached
for it, it tried to go farther but apparently could not.
Bubbles of air came from its mouth, and air bubbles were
plainly seen clinging to the plumage of its back. At the
time it was captured its mouth, eyes, and wings were all
open, under water, and it remained at the bottom seemingly
without difficulty. As it lay in my hands above water
it seemed tired for a second or two, and then, without
warning, shook itself a little, leaped into the air, and
with loud, clear whistles, circled off a few inches above
the water to a distant point of land.
On a subsequent occasion, May 7, 1925, Mr. Sutton--
purposely came upon a spotted sandpiper suddenly and
witnessed it employ almost the identical tactics in making
an effective escape. At this time, however, the bird dove
into running water, swam with wings and feet rapidly moving
for about 20 feet, and emerged down stream, still flying,
and made off in its characteristic way, only a few inches
above the water.
L. L. Jewel (1915), watching a sandpiper in Panama under most favorable
circumstances was able to make out clearly the position of the feet
while the bird was swimming under water. The beach where Mr. Jewel made
this observation was, as he describes it:
A wide coral reef, bare at low tide, and with occasional
openings or “wells” connected underneath with the sea. Some
of these are of considerable size and the water in all is
as clear as crystal to all depths--clear as only those who
have seen such tropical “coral water” can imagine. * * *
I had however a perfect view of the bird as he “flew” the
10 feet across the pool, through the beautifully clear
water which showed white pebbles distinctly on a bottom
perhaps 20 feet below. The bird crossed at a uniform depth
of 18 inches to 2 feet, which he held until he brought up
against the opposite wall. The head and neck were extended
but not at all stretched while the legs and feet trailed
behind with flexed toes, like a heron in flight. The
wings seemed to be opened to only perhaps half their full
extent--the primaries pointing well backward like wings
are trimmed as birds cut down from some height to alight.
The wing-beats were slow and even but not labored, and
progress was uniform and not at all hurried.
In addition to the anomalous behavior of the spotted sandpiper in and
under the water, the bird shows a further departure from the regular
habits of the other shore birds in its ability and frequent tendency
to perch on small supports which requires a grasping power in the feet
to hold the bird in place. My notes supply an extreme instance of this
habit, noting the action of an adult bird (exercised, to be sure, over
the safety of its young) which alighted on a slender wire running
between poles and stood crouched a little and leaning forward, but
keeping its balance by securely gripping the wire.
The literature furnishes one other record of grasping a wire. L. L.
Snyder (1924) reports thus:
On June 25, 1923, at Orient Bay, Lake Nipigon, Ontario, the
writer observed a spotted sandpiper perching on a telegraph
wire. The fact that the species was perching was not
surprising but the size of the perch made the observation
of interest. The bird was not in an erect position, being
squatted, which probably made the feat less difficult.
In this case the act was entirely voluntary and not an
instance of unusual conduct due to the pressure of an
emergency.
Other quotations, showing the bird acting in unsandpiper-like behavior
follow. Mousley (1915) says:
On one occasion only have I seen a very excited parent bird
with young alight on a cat-tail head, and very out of place
and uncomfortable it seemed to be.
H. H. Cleaves (1908) says:
We were returning along a rather unused railroad when, in
an area to one side, which was flooded for the most part
with a number of inches of water, we noticed a spotted
sandpiper flying about in circles and acting peculiarly. We
had all come to the conclusion that her young were about
somewhere, when she did a most peculiar thing. The wet
area in question was covered with considerable underbrush,
out of which grew rather tall, second-growth timber. The
sandpiper alighted on the tops of some of these trees, on
the small twigs, and remained balancing there for some
time, fully 25 or 30 feet from the ground. This performance
she repeated several times, making her appear for all the
world like a perching bird.
P. A. Taverner (1919) says:
Common all along the river [Red Deer River, Alberta] and
breeding everywhere. One bird on being flushed from her
eggs flew into adjoining bushes and climbed about them in a
most unwaderlike style while complaining at our intrusion.
J. T. Nichols points out in his notes that the foot of the spotted
sandpiper is adapted to its peculiar habits; that the bird is able to
grasp a small object because the front toes are nearer together than in
most waders and the hind toe is more developed. He says:
The footmarks of the spotted sandpiper on moist sand or mud
are recognizable. Compared to those of related birds the
toes are relatively little spreading, and the mark left by
the hind toe relatively large and conspicuous.
Under the title “Spotted Sandpiper Removing its Young” J. C. Merrill
(1898) describes a very remarkable performance, the only record of such
behavior noted in the literature.
A clearly observed case of the spotted sandpiper (_Actitis
macularia_) removing its young by flight recently came
under my notice, and I place it upon record, as such
instances are rarely seen, though they are, perhaps, of
tolerably frequent occurrence, as in the case of the
woodcock.
Last summer, in the month of July, I frequently landed on
a little rocky islet near the head of the Saquenay River,
shortly after it issues from Lake St. John. Each time
a spotted sandpiper showed much concern for her young,
which were often seen running about and were a few days
old. On one of these occasions, the mother ran ahead of
me to a point of rocks near which I stopped to fish. A
few moments later she flew, circling in the usual manner,
and as she passed in front of me and within a few feet, I
saw one of the young beneath her body, apparently clasped
by her thighs; its head was directed forward, somewhat
outstretched, and was seen with perfect distinctness. The
parent’s legs were apparently hanging down as she flew,
though I am not positive that what I saw were not the legs
of the young. The mother was in sight for about 60 yards,
flying heavily and silently, and landed on a large island,
though I could not see her at the moment of alighting.
_Voice._--The notes of the spotted sandpiper are mainly modified
and extended from its common alarm note, the sharp, clear whistle,
_peet-weet_, but as in the case of many birds, degrees of emotion
may be expressed by a little change in pitch or inflection. When
considerably alarmed the bird continues to repeat the _weet_ note often
giving a long series which trails off in diminuendo like the quacking
of a duck.
J. T. Nichols (1920) describes a series of notes:
_Hoy, hoy, weet, weet, weet, weet, weet, weet, weet_ is
a prolonged call frequently heard in the early part of
the nesting season, in toto or in part, suggesting in
that respect the songs of the cuckoos. It doubtless has
value as advertisement or location notice and something
the significance of a very generalized song. A series of
loud _weets_, heard also at other times of year, the most
far-reaching call of the species, doubtless serves as
location notice.
A. A. Saunders in his notes similarly describes the “song.” He says:
I believe the long call _weet, weet, weet, weet, weet,
weet, weet, peet a weet, peet a weet, peet a weet, peet a
weet_ serves as a song. I have seen it sung in flight, when
the actions and flight of the bird were similar to those of
other flight singers.
Both of these observers describe the soft crooning note used by the
parent to bring together its young. Nichols says that, “a rolling
note, _kerrwee, kerrwee, kerrwee_, now loud, now very low and distant,
has been heard from an adult with the evident purpose of assembling her
young; and Saunders speaks of a parent bird which called to its young,
_tootawee, tootawee, tootawee, tootawee_ over and over. The call is
like the _peet a weet_ in form, but lower pitched and softer.”
A common note, heard during the summer on the breeding ground when the
birds are undisturbed, resembles closely the whistle of the little
frog, _Hyla pickeringii_. This is a far-reaching whistled note, not
given in a series like the _weet, weet_ call. It is a single note,
apparently, repeated over and over again, not regularly, but always
with an interval between each repetition.
It is clear that Nichols has this note in mind when he says, “_Pip!
pip! pip!_ is a note heard between adult birds in the breeding season
which seems to be of polite address, or possibly impolite, as it is
almost identical in form with a note of protest by old birds when nest
or young are threatened.”
Continuing, he describes two other notes, “the _pit-wit-wit_ frequently
heard from adults as a note of departure may best be considered a
variation of this one [the _pip wip_ of the young] as also the _peet
weet weet_ or _weet weet_ most frequent a little later in the season
as little companies of birds start out over the water for longer or
shorter distances.
“An old bird, surprised near her brood and fluttering off playing
wounded called _cheerp cheerp_ a sort of scream as of pain and fear.”
_Field marks._--The spotted sandpiper is one of the prettiest, most
delicate, and trim of the shore birds; in place of the browns and greys
of the streaked upper parts of most waders there is a plain greenish
sheen on the back, and in autumn across the breast a soft tint like a
fawn. Through the glass the wings show a fine mottling, suggesting a
wren. The line of white at the posterior margin of the open wing is a
good diagnostic mark, and its habit of teetering makes identification
certain. The only bird which resembles the spotted sandpiper at
all closely is its larger relative the solitary sandpiper, but the
characteristic motion of this bird is a ploverlike hitching movement
or bob, as if hiccoughing, very different from the spotted sandpiper’s
rapid swaying up and down of the hinder part of the body.
_Enemies._--The chief enemies of the spotted sandpiper are the
swift-moving hawks, whose pursuit it sometimes successfully eludes by
diving in the manner described above. J. E. H. Kelso (1926) records an
instance of this habit. He says:
Skirting the lake shore in my sneak boat a spotted
sandpiper was repeatedly disturbed, flew along in front of
the boat to settle again and again on the shore. It then
made off to cross a small bay, when a pigeon hawk dashed
out from some trees and made a stoop or two at the dodging
sandpiper, which would certainly soon have been captured in
the air if it had not suddenly alighted on the water. This
for a few seconds confused the hawk, which circled just
over its quarry and appeared to try to capture it with its
talons. The sandpiper dove, remaining under 3 or 4 seconds.
The hawk on the disappearance of its intended victim at
once made off at a great pace.
W. H. Osgood (1909) describes an escape in this manner from an attack
by a northern shrike.
Wilson (1832) in his most charming manner tells this delightful story:
My venerable friend, Mr. William Bartram, informs me
that he saw one of these birds defend her young for a
considerable time from the repeated attacks of a ground
squirrel. The scene of action was on the river shore. The
parent had thrown herself, with her two young behind her,
between them and the land, and at every attempt of the
squirrel to seize them by a circuitous sweep raised both
her wings in an almost perpendicular position, assuming the
most formidable appearance she was capable of, and rushed
forwards on the squirrel, who, intimidated by her boldness
and manner, instantly retreated; but presently returning
was met, as before, in front and on flank by the daring and
affectionate bird, who with her wings and whole plumage
bristling up seemed swelled to twice her usual size. The
young crowded together behind her, apparently sensible of
their perilous situation, moving backward and forward as
she advanced or retreated. This interesting scene lasted
for at least 10 minutes; the strength of the poor parent
began evidently to flag, and the attacks of the squirrel
became more daring and frequent, when my good friend, like
one of those celestial agents who in Homer’s time so often
decided the palm of victory, stepped forward from his
retreat, drove the assailant back to his hole, and rescued
the innocent from destruction.
A. A. Saunders sends the following suggestive note:
Once on Sherwoods Island, Westport, Conn., in September, I
saw a bird fly ahead of me with something large and black
looking dangling beneath it. The bird could hardly fly
and tried to hide in the beach grass as I approached. I
caught it and found that a large specimen of the common
edible mussel (_Mytilus edulis_) had closed its shell on
the middle toe of the bird’s left foot. The toe was nearly
severed just above the nail, and since I couldn’t pry the
mussel open, I cut through the bit of skin left and freed
the bird.
_Fall._--As is the case during its northward migration, the spotted
sandpiper leaves its breeding ground and moves to its winter quarters
inconspicuously, showing little tendency to gather into flocks. Its
voice is not infrequently heard among the notes of the autumnal
nocturnal migrants--an indication that the bird in a measure makes use
of the safe, dark hours during its long journey southward.
Cooke (1897) says: “In the fall [in Colorado] it ranges above the pines
to 14,000 feet,” illustrating the tendency to wander about in autumn.
_Game._--During the years, now past, when the smaller shore birds could
legally be shot for food or sport the spotted sandpiper suffered less
than some of the other Limicolae by reason of its more solitary habit.
The gunners, waiting for several of their tiny target to come within
range of a single shot, often disregarded a spotted sandpiper running
alone on the shore.
_Winter._--Most of the spotted sandpipers leave the United States to
spend the winter on the islands to the southward, and in South America,
but the species is nevertheless well represented in California during
the winter, and in the Southern States on the Atlantic seaboard.
George Willett (1912) “found this species plentiful in winter around
Santa Barbara Islands and on rocky shores of the mainland.”
Dr. Alexander Wetmore (1916) speaking of the bird as a winter visitant
of Porto Rico says:
It frequents the mangrove swamps, borders of lagoons,
margins of all the streams, and occasionally the sandy
beaches. During the winter season it follows inland along
the small streams and occurs throughout the island.
And (1927) reporting the birds’ winter status in South America says--
It is a regular migrant in South America as far as Bolivia
and southern Brazil, and on March 4, 1918, several were
found by Mogensen at Concepcion, Province of Tucuman, in
northern Argentina. On October 25, 1920, one was taken by
the writer near the mouth of the Rio Ajo on the eastern
coast of the Province of Buenos Aires, the southernmost
point at which the species is known.
DISTRIBUTION
_Range._--North and South America; accidental in Europe.
_Breeding range._--The breeding range of the spotted sandpiper extends
north to Alaska (Kobuk River, Fort Yukon, and Circle); Yukon (La Pierre
House); Mackenzie (Fort McPherson, Arctic Red River, Fort Anderson,
Aylmer Lake, Clinton-Colden Lake, and Artillery Lake); Manitoba (Fort
Du Brochet, Fort Churchill, and York Factory); Ungava (Fort Chimo); and
Labrador (Okak). East of Labrador (Okak and Rigolet); eastern Quebec
(Sloop Harbor and Wolf Bay); Newfoundland (Humber River and Penguin
Island); Nova Scotia (Breton Island, Pictou, and Yarmouth); Maine
(Thomaston); New Hampshire (Portsmouth); Massachusetts (Boston and
Woods Hole); Rhode Island (Block Island); New York (Shelter Island);
New Jersey (Red Bank and Five-mile Beach); Maryland (Cambridge);
Virginia (Cobb Island and Richmond); North Carolina (Kona, Fort Macon,
and Wilmington); and probably South Carolina (Chester and Columbia).
South to probably South Carolina (Columbia); probably Georgia
(Okefinokee Swamp); Alabama (Autauga County and Greensboro); Louisiana
(New Orleans, Baton Rouge, and Vermilion Bay); Texas (Corsicana,
Calhoun County, Austin, Buffalo Bayou, Kerrville, Concho County,
and Tom Green County); New Mexico (Las Vegas, Willis, and Espanola);
Arizona (Camp Verde); and California (Santa Paula). West to California
(Santa Paula, Kernville, Lime Kiln, Royal Arches, Lake Tahoe, and Eagle
Lake); Oregon (Fort Klamath, Elkton, Eugene, Corvallis, Salem, Dayton,
and Portland); Washington (Bellingham Bay); British Columbia (Vancouver
and Skidegate); and Alaska (Lewis Point, Sitka, Idaho Inlet, Glacier
Bay, Hinchinbrook Island, Port Nell Juan, Lake Clark, Mount McKinley,
Nulato, and Kobuk River).
Nonbreeding individuals also have been observed in summer in the Bahama
Islands; Porto Rico; Jamaica; Guadeloupe; Barbados; Grenada; St.
Vincent; Dominica; Martinique; Florida (Fruitland Park, Indian Key, and
Seven Oaks); Chihuahua (Pachaco); and Nyarit (Tres Marias Islands).
_Winter range._--In winter, the spotted sandpiper ranges north rarely
to British Columbia (Courtenay and Chilliwack); Arizona (Camp Verde
and Salt River Bird Reservation); New Mexico (Carlsbad); Texas (Fort
Brown); probably Louisiana (Vermilion Bay); and rarely Virginia (James
River peninsula). East to rarely Virginia (James River peninsula);
South Carolina (Sea Islands and Port Royal); Georgia (Savannah,
Blackbeard Island, and St. Marys); Florida (Fernandina, Daytona, New
Smyrna, Malabar, St. Lucie, Miami, Key Largo, and Key West); the Bahama
Islands (Andros); Cuba (Santiago de Cuba); Haiti (Monte Christi);
Porto Rico (Cartagena Lagoon, Mameyes, and Caguas); the Lesser
Antilles (Dominica, St. Lucia, Barbados, Carriacou, and Trinidad);
British Guiana (Bartica and Georgetown); French Guiana (Cayenne); and
Brazil (Mixiana, Marajo, Para, and Bahia). South to Brazil (Bahia
and Santa Fe); Bolivia (San Francisco); and Peru (Lima). West to
Peru (Lima, Huacho, and Tumbez); Ecuador (Santa Elena, Quito, and
Esmeraldas); Galapagos Islands (Albemarle); Colombia (Puerto Berrio);
Panama (Panama City); Costa Rica (La Estrella de Cartago, and San
Jose); Nicaragua (Escondido River); Salvador (La Libertad); Honduras
(Chamelecon); Guatemala (Lake Atitlan); Oaxaca (Tehuantepec City);
Lower California (San Jose del Cabo and La Paz); Sonora (Alamos);
California (San Clemente Island, Santa Catalina Island, Santa Cruz
Island, and Marysville); rarely Oregon (probably Klamath Lake, Elkton,
and Portland); probably Washington (Seattle, Clallam Bay, and Port
Angeles); and rarely British Columbia (Courtenay).
_Spring migration._--Early dates of spring arrival are: North Carolina,
Raleigh, April 3, Andrews, April 5, and Weaverville, April 10;
Virginia, Miller, April 10, Bowers Hill, April 12, and Camp Eustis,
April 14; West Virginia, Waverly, April 4, White Sulphur Springs,
April 6, and Lewisburg, April 11; District of Columbia, Washington,
April 2; Maryland, Cambridge, April 13, and Sandy Spring, April 18;
Delaware, Wilmington, April 27; Pennsylvania, Phillipsburg, March 27,
Jeffersonville, March 31, Wallingford, April 1, Beaver, April 2, and
Berwyn, April 5; New Jersey, New Brunswick, March 30, Deep Water Point
Light, April 14, and Camden, April 16; New York, Rhinebeck, March 20,
Locust Grove, April 2, Geneva, April 13, and Branchport, April 15;
Connecticut, Canaan, April 14, Portland, April 18, and Fairfield, April
21; Rhode Island, Block Island, April 6; Massachusetts, Dorchester,
April 12, Woods Hole, April 13, Holyoke, April 15, and Harvard, April
25; Vermont, Woodstock, April 23, Rutland, April 25, and St. Johnsbury,
April 27; New Hampshire, Tilton, April 26, Peterboro, April 28, and
Hanover, April 30; Maine, Westbrook, April 14, Ellsworth, April 16,
and Portland, April 26; Quebec, Montreal, April 26, and Quebec, May
2; New Brunswick, Scotch Lake, May 2, and Blacksville, May 5; Nova
Scotia, Yarmouth, May 4, and Wolfville, May 9; Arkansas, Tillar,
March 17, and Monticello, March 22; Tennessee, Knoxville, April 3,
and Athens, April 10; Kentucky, Bowling Green, March 29; Missouri,
Marshall, March 27; Illinois, Peoria, March 20, Odin, March 24, and
Rantoul, April 5; Indiana, Vigo County, March 20, Greencastle, April
1, and Vincennes, April 3; Ohio, Cleveland, March 29, Columbus, April
8, Canton, April 9, and Oberlin, April 10; Michigan, Vermontville,
April 6, Ann Arbor, April 13, Battle Creek, April 14, and Grand
Rapids, April 19; Ontario, Plover Mills, April 12, Guelph, April 13,
and Ottawa, April 16; Iowa, Ottumwa, March 28, Elkader, March 30, and
Emmetsburg, April 3; Wisconsin, Milwaukee, March 30, and Shiocton,
April 13; Minnesota, Lake City, April 3, Brainerd, April 16, Lanesboro,
April 18, and Minneapolis, April 19; Oklahoma, Ponca City, March 31;
Kansas, Manhattan, April 5, Lawrence, April 7, Blue Rapids, April 9,
and Wichita, April 15; Nebraska, Lincoln, April 18; South Dakota,
Sioux Falls, April 10, Forestburg, April 15, and Pitrodie, April 23;
Manitoba, Killarney, April 22, Alexander, April 24, and Aweme, April
25; Saskatchewan, Indian Head, May 3, and Eastend, May 7; Mackenzie,
Fort Simpson, May 19; Colorado, Greeley, March 18, Mesa County, March
18, and Colorado Springs, April 16; Wyoming, Lake Como, May 2; Idaho,
Rathdrum, May 1, and Rupert, May 3; Montana, Billings, April 1, and
Columbia Falls, May 4; Alberta, Stony Plain, April 22, Carvel, April
30, and Athabaska Landing, May 6; Yukon, Dawson, May 24; and Alaska,
Kuskokwim River, May 12, Craig, May 16, Nulato, May 22, and Forrester
Island, May 24.
Late dates of spring departure are: Peru, Rio Perene, March 9, and
La Merced, March 23; Brazil, Praia de Cajetuba, April 12, Santarem,
April 12, and Matto Grosso, April 1; Venezuela, San Bricene, April 21;
Ecuador, Lake Colta, April 5, and San Pedro River, April 11; Colombia,
La Concepcion, March 23; Panama, Chiriqui, April 13; Costa Rica,
Guapeles, March 5; Guatemala, Puerto Barrios, April 7; Pueblo, Altisco,
May 22; Yucatan, Tizimin, May 16; Tamaulipas, Victoria, April 16;
Sonora, Hermosillo, April 30; Lower California, La Paz, April 16, and
Gardners Laguna, April 23; Lesser Antilles, St. Croix, April 27; Porto
Rico, Patillas, May 13, and Cartagena Lagoon, May 23; Haiti, April 11;
Cuba, Guantanamo, May 5; Bahama Islands, Andros, April 21, Cay Lobos
Light, April 25, and Abaco, April 28; and Florida, Gainesville, May
10, Daytona Beach, May 11, Palma Sola, May 22, St. Marks, May 24, and
Pensacola, May 31.