This Morning Outside

by Diane Porter

August 19, 2009
In wetlands near Birdwatching Dot Com
Fairfield, Iowa

The spotted sandpiper reminds me of a toy I had as a child. It was a mehanical bird that tipped forward to dip its bill in a cup of water. The toy was counterweighted somehow so that when the water soaked into the bill, the bird pivoted back upright. And as the air dried the bill, down went the bird's head again.

The spotted sandpiper teeters forward and back the same way, but much, much faster. It's a pretty easy bird to pick out in a bunch of shorebirds by that bobbing motion and the white triangle up in front of the wing.

How did such a plain-looking bird get named spotted sandpiper? During the breeding season, its white throat, breast, and belly are covered with dark polka dots.

The way it looks now, passing through Iowa on its way south in late August, is pretty much plain brown above, with a bit of barring on the folded wings (barely visible in the pic) and the distinct eyering.

Here are a couple of other views of the same bird.