Semi-palmated sandpipers
The saltwater marsh is one of the most productive ecosystems we have.
One measure of this productivity is the vast number of birds that visit
the marshlands and associated mud flats each year as they migrate south
for the winter. Perhaps the best example is the semipalmated sandpiper
(Calidris pusilla; the picture on
the left shows semipalmated plovers as well). Semipalmated sandpipers are
the size of a sparrow and have upper parts with brown with black speckles,
a lighter head and a light line above eye. Their under parts are white
with a greyish breast. They arrive in NS in July (after breeding), reach
peak numbers in August and most leave by late September. Flocks numbering
50,000 - 100,000 birds can be observed on the tidal flats and they fly
in unison, turning and circling together. At low tide, they cover the flats
feeding on insects and marine organisms and at high tide, they roost in
adjacent farm fields. Individual sandpipers stay here for 2-3 weeks. In
this time, they double their body weight and then continue their southward
migration to South America. Other birds that may be seen this time of year
include the Least sandpiper, semipalmated plover, marsh hawk, herring gull,
willet, black-belly plover, Great Black-backed Gull and Great Blue Heron.
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