Upland Sandpiper

An area I love to bird in the spring, usually around April 18 or 19th, is Marthaville Road south of Aberfeldy in Lambton County. On a nice morning it's great to first cruise along slowly in the truck and since there is very little traffic, parking roadside for photography is pretty easy. Then I enjoy getting out and just walking along roadside to see what pops out. This year was no exception as there were lots of signing birds.

                                                            Upland Sandpiper

                                                                    Bobolink

                                                         Eastern Meadowlark

                                                              Brown-headed Cowbird

                                                                   Savannah Sparrow

Upland Sandpiper

 

Upland Sandpipers nest mainly in natural prairies, but they forage (and to a lesser extent nest) in a wide variety of grasslands, croplands, and pastures. During the early part of the nesting cycle, watch for males calling from fence posts.

The elegant, enigmatic Upland Sandpiper paces across grassland habitats like a tiny, short-billed curlew throughout the year: prairies, pastures, and croplands in summer; and South American grasslands in winter.

Unlike most other North American shorebirds it avoids wetlands, instead hunting grasshoppers and other insects with jerky steps and quick jabs at prey. Cornell All About Birds