Week of 12.30.24
Welcome to Bird of the Week!
This week's bird is the solitary sandpiper, or Tringa solitaria. These birds can be identified by their long yellow legs, large black eyes, and rounded brown-white bodies. They are often found near waterways, foraging for food on the shoreline or in shallow banks. Solitary sandpipers are usually seen alone, as suggested by their name.
Birds in the sandpiper family walk carefully along shorelines, occasionally bobbing their bodies up and down.
To read a poem about Solitary Sandpipers written by Linda Schandelmeier during a residency at Denali National Park and Preserve, click here. An excerpt can be found below.
But the bird with its
brown and white-splashed feathers,
long beak and elegant legs,
and unassuming grace and form,
is breathtaking.
As we approach
it flies to the top of a ragged spruce tree,
its wary high-pitched call
echoing off the wall of trees.
That call opens inside me.
It knows life’s sorrow and desolation,
even today, this day in June,
punctuated with such impossible sweetness.
Solitary sandpipers can be found in varying population density across most of the continental United States, excluding portions of the Pacific Northwest and Southwest regions. Next time you are near water, scan the shores for sandpipers. For increased chances of visibility, try looking for solitary sandpipers by canoe or kayak!
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Sources: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Solitary_Sandpiper/id https://www.audubon.org/field-guide/bird/solitary-sandpiper
Art by Anne Longman