Upland Sandpiper Family Seen

Upland Sandpiper Family Seen

Upland Sandpiper Adult

Last week (August 2) we visited the blueberry fields in the Pennfield area.  It was a hot, sunny day with a nice breeze, a good day to go birding in New Brunswick.  We were specifically looking for one of New Brunswick's rare summer residents,  the Upland Sandpiper (Bartramia longicauda).  Upland Sandpipers prefer open areas such as grassy fields, playing fields, blueberry fields, tallgrass prairies, airports, etc.  They are difficult to see, often with just their heads showing above the vegetation.  They sometimes perch on posts.  They sometimes bob their tails like some other sandpipers.  When they land they often hold their wings up high before settling down.  They do not seem to need to be near water like other sandpipers.  

Upland Sandpiper Adult

We looked for a long time for the birds which others had reported being present but as you can imagine it is difficult to see these secretive birds even though they are quite large (31 cm/12 in).  We were just about to give up and were returning from a long drive and careful searching through the area when we spotted a bird walking across the dirt road.  Stop!  We had the pleasure of watching a juvenile Upland Sandpiper sauntering across the road and stopping to play along the way.  That was nice!  The  bird wandered into the thick vegetation and disappeared.  Further searching revealed the adults nearby.  We could hear their discreet 'purring' vocalizations which seemed to be used to keep the family together.  We considered ourselves very lucky to witness this uncommon family.  It was easy to see why they are so hard to see.  They disappear into the vegetation very easily.

Upland Sandpiper Juvenile

The juvenile Upland Sandpiper looks much like the adult, as seen in the photo above.  They are less barred on the body and their heads are lighter in colour.  The individual we saw was a bit smaller than the adults.  It obviously wasn't done growing.  It certainly was unaware of the danger it was in as it wandered across the road.  

The normal breeding range of this species is a relatively narrow strip from Alaska southward across the southern prairie provinces into the mid-western states, across the area south of the Great Lakes into New England with a small area into New Brunswick.  We are on the edge of their territory so are lucky to see them at all.  They winter in South America from southern Brazil to south-central Argentina.  Since they have so far to go to their winter home, they will soon be leaving here, probably by mid-August.  They continue to use their preferred habitats on their migration so can be seen in fallow fields, sod farms and airports.  One wonders how they can make it through the maze of the busy US population areas.  

These are a beautiful species and I wish we had more of them.  They remind us of our need to protect more habitat for such species.  For more information on this species, see a previous post on this blog entitled, 'Upland Sandpiper'.