Wintering Shorebirds

Lara

Thu, Jan 27, 2022 7:00 PM

Shorebirds are an incredible group of birds: Bar-tailed Godwits make multi-day, non-stop flights of 6,500 miles travelling to New Zealand from Alaska, while Pectoral Sandpipers make the longest migratory flights of all birds—from Central Siberia to South America! Not only can some shorebirds travel non-stop or long distances they are fast and with a tail wind can fly up to 60 miles per hour. On their breeding grounds certain species of shorebirds are strikingly colorful, like the Curlew Sandpiper, and perform complex aerial displays and songs, like the Dunlin, but you can only see and hear them just for the summer months—in the Arctic!

In the winter months however, shorebirds can be tricky to identify — brownish, quietly feeding on mudflats, and, at first glance, they look remarkably like each other.

Lara will discuss the identification of our common wintering shorebird groups, including Calidris, Tringa , dowitchers, and other species from a variety of genera in their basic plumage.

Join us for a great time while learning more about our fascinating shorebirds.