Just a quick note before we get started. I intentionally let my birthday pass without fanfare last month, but I was planning to make special note of an accomplishment that did occur – As my Dad would quip, must not have been that important or you wouldn’t have forgotten ha. As a quick self-pat on the back, January was the start of my 16th year blogging here at Intrigued. 15 years of observations, wildlife encounters, ramblings and whatnot. Been a blast so far and all the credit goes to you, my wonderful readers, and our staff that keep this little project going. Hippity Hip Hooray! Now staff, let’s get back to work.
Apparently my home state decided to welcome me back with a bit of a warm spell. Admittedly, it was a bit brutal the first week, but mid 40’s for most of this week (possibly in 50’s Sunday), in the Midwest, in early February…I’ll take it. Best of all I’ve been able to train outside and catch back up from the annual lazy January. A bit shocked I’m already up to 9 mile outings, but there’s a long runway to this year’s goals. Already signed up for a midyear 50K which already has the distinction of sending my sorry ass to the hospital (link here and here) and as you probably expected, another attempt at the 100K in the fall (link here). What can I say, I don’t deal very well with failure. There will probably be a few races scattered in here and there, but the training will be designed around these larger events. Today’s featured feathered friend is also fond of running albeit more of a sprinter specialist (you can view larger versions by hitting the image links).
Last post I brought you a ubiquitous resident of Texas (and many of the other southwestern states). A full bodied, dark feathered bird with quite a sassy mouth. Similar to the Great-Tailed Grackle, the Sanderling can be found in Texas. You will not find them at inland Walmarts as these cute birds all have Salt Life plastered on the back of their Jeeps. Tops off, Maui Jims on, cooler in the back, sandal to pedal with the wind whipping through their white/grey toned nonbreeding plumage.
Hit the jump to see a few shots I took of them driving their Jeeps on the beach.
Okay, I might have exaggerated a bit on their surfing lifestyle. They may not actually have Jeeps, but they do motor up and down the Texas beaches. A majority of my travels to the coastlines are in the winter months. I can drag a lawn chair out to Ruger’s dock diving training pool, slap an umbrella in a drink and let the rays do their thing during the Midwestern warm months – it’s the cold months that get Linda and I to the surf. As a result, I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a Sanderling in its breeding plumage which is a much deeper brown/rufous mottle on top/collar while maintaining the snowy white breast through the undertail.
Unfortunately, that breeding plumage means it starts looking a lot like the coloring of the other 2 million shorebird species that cause birders to pull their hair out trying to nail down an ID. Nonbreeding months…not so hard identifying these Lings. Jet black sandpiper bill (same proportion to head), equally black feet and eye, a white edged grey toned back feathering and the said white undercoating (collar recedes most of the way back). If unsure, the best static tell is the blackish smudge on the shoulder.
If you want a more dynamic clue, their behavior will pretty much give them away. Watch for the small whitish birds downing Pixie Stix behind the dunes and then tearing out across the beach to chase the waves and probe for any morsels left behind. Waves come back, they sprint back up the beach, refuel on Pixie if the sugar high is wearing off and right back at it. You might not notice it unless you happen to be photographing them, but they also kick their feet out to the left and right like their speedskating across the sand. Cracks me up every time I look at those shots.
Probably the best thing about them is they are generally super quiet. Sure, they may squeak a few times when their sandals get a little wet, but a far cry from those ear-splitting Grackles. They also couldn’t care less about us sunseekers. Maybe take a wider arch to avoid people walking in their path or a very short flight to put a little distance from an inquisitive toddler – hey you Gulls, maybe something you can learn from!!
Just for a quick background, this series of shots was taken at the Port Aransas, TX Beach access. Probably noticed the lack of a sand in the scene which is actually what caught my attention – this specimen was hanging out on the jetty at the far end of the beach. I have countless shots of these birds running along the brown sand and liked the chance to finally add a few more colors into the scene – turned out to my favorite series to date of this darling Sandpiper.
Hope you enjoyed today’s feature. Maybe at some point in the future, I’ll find a way to bring you shots of the breeding plumage – going to be tough to get one to hang out at Ruger’s pool for any length of time ha!
Wildlife Intrigued 
Very cute little piper. It’s definitely keeping an eye on you though.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Yep, still lack of full trust in the bipeds with long glass, but compared to the other sand peeps, muuuuch more accommodating!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Cute bird. Congrats for your many year’s blogging!
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thank you Luisella – it has been a fun adventure so far and best part is getting to meet so many wonderful people across the globe. Take care.
LikeLiked by 1 person
100K race! Yikes, better you than me:) Maggie
LikeLiked by 2 people
Ha, the funny thing is the ultra distance racing was the “dialing back” from my younger days spent in the dojo and a myriad of other sports/activities that battered me pretty good. At least now any harm that comes my way is due to me and me alone. Probably needless to say, Linda isn’t exactly on board with my running addiction, but too her credit, she is always there as my support team on race day.
LikeLiked by 2 people
That Piper looks like a salty dog. Going for the pain again? Run run run run away!
LikeLiked by 2 people
Very salty, and a mouth on them like a drunken sailor. Yeah, I need to right last year’s failure or it will continue to nag me every morning when I look into the mirror (not to mention the constant reminder when I see the missing magnet on the back of the truck). So far so good this year, definitely ahead of my training pace even with the limited production in Texas – been hitting February very hard while the temps have been so accommodating. Fingers crossed.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Sounds like a good start. Maybe you won’t have to be cursing like a Sand Piper by the end of the season.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Ha, right, although something tells me I’ll still be cussing at something.
LikeLiked by 1 person
All you have to do out here is drive and the curse words fill the car’s interior quite quickly.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hahahaha – I can assure you the same applies here in the Midwest – especially during the early snows and the noob drivers think that 4 wheel drive works on ice.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Out here the pickup drivers think their rear-wheel drive is good on ice because they are in a giant pickup.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Apparently not unique to your region, Linda and I came through Arkansas a number of years back after a layer of sleet had been put down by Mother Nature – looked like a real life bumper car ride at the fair had gone horribly wrong except the cars (trucks in this case) didn’t have poles sticking out the back of them.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Too much excitment.
LikeLiked by 1 person
A year round resident in the Lowcountry. Always fun to watch. Sanderlings have a very funny way of hunting sand worms. They stand in one spot and tap the sand with one foot. A sand worm will feel the vibrations and move, giving their hiding spot away to the little birds. Great fun to watch.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Clever hunters! You’d think the sand worms would catch on at some point..maybe too high of expectations for a worm ha. I definitely enjoy watching them on our trips to the south – these sand runners also feel like brothers of kin. Thanks for dropping in Ted… apologies, way behind on getting caught up on all your shots.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Great shots of these pretty little birds – the angle of the sun was perfect, and you’re right that the green and blue habitat was both unusual, and a welcome sight in these “brown and gray” months! Happy B’day, and congrats on 15 years of blogging. That might be some kind of record!
LikeLiked by 3 people
Thank you Sam! Trying to be more conscious of my shot surroundings this year rather than just concentrating on the subject – will see how this goes throughout the year, always up for a good challenge. Was joking with Linda that I don’t remember the last time I actually spent my birthday at home instead of on the road. Even before the January Texas trips we would always use that weekend for snowboard trips etc, as it usually falls on the extended MLK weekend (17th). As a result, not used to really celebrating it much – being on vacation is the present ha! Intrigued as been a fun project over the years and it has made some definite change of courses since its inception. Now with Brad joining the team we’ve been able to expand into new areas (some firsts on their way from below sea level) which keeps the excitement up. Always promised myself I would stop when it began to feel like work – 15 yrs later, still enjoying talking about our experiences and hearing from our wonderful readers. Appreciate you being there for us.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Happy belated birthday
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you Kelly! The good news is I feel a lot younger than the calendar tries to claim ha.
LikeLike
That is the important thing
LikeLiked by 1 person
Handsome little pipers! I can be entertained for hours watching them run the surf. š
LikeLiked by 1 person
Right with you there! Seeing them cover that much ground with those little black feet can keep a smile on my face for hours on end. that and the fact I’m usually on a beach when I see them so as they say “Life’s Good”. Appreciate you dropping in Donna, take care.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Great series of photographs!
Shorebirds can be pretty challenging to sort out. As you said, watching their behavior and combining it with other physical clues can help a lot.
Watching a large herd of Sanderlings on a beach moving in unison while trying to avoid getting their toes wet from incoming waves is some pretty good entertainment!
Birthdays? I sort of remember those. Hope yours was enjoyable!
LikeLike
100K??? I could barely run a hundred feet without need for a defibrillator and some oxygen. Lovely little piper. Congrats on sticking with it all this time.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I tell everyone it is an acquired taste – and like bourbon, these distances can have a bit of a kick in the ass. Finger’s crossed for this year’s attempt. The great thing about long distance running is I have plenty of time to think about new topics for the blog….if only I could remember what great ideas I came up with “after” the run ha. Thanks for coming by Steve.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Congratulations on your birthday, on 15 (!) years of blogging, and on subjecting your body to both a 50 and 100 K race–I don’t know if I should admire or pity you for the latter. But I hope your year will be injury-free.
And thanks for sharing this photo series of a very attractive shorebird. I have always admired the simple elegance of black-and-white (or brown-and-white) birds, and the Sanderling is a case in point.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thank you Tanja – I stopped counting the numbers, but I do pat myself on the back every time I make it another year. If you ask Linda she would say you should definitely not admire and rather cast aspersions on my racing endeavors – she’s not a fan at these longer distances – probably from having to pick me up at the hospital so many times hehehe. So far the training is going well and luckily no injuries …yet. Glad you enjoyed a few shots of Sandy. They are so adorable and your “elegance” description if a perfect choice at least from my experiences during the non-breeding months. Will have to make a point to find one of these in their alternate plumage and see if that holds true as well. Take care and appreciate you coming by.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Maybe you will stop subjecting your body to further tortures once you are able to finish the 100 K race and get it out of your system. I did my first (and only) half-ironman triathlon a while back which had been a long-held dream. When I was peeing blood afterward, I decided I didn’t need to wreck my body in order to prove anything to myself.
LikeLike
I think my comment got lost in the ether. Great little shorebird. It is definitely keeping an eye on you.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I still show your first comment, so you are good to go. Not sure if you simply lost it on your end or not.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Now I see it again across all my devices. You can nuke this thread if you want.
LikeLiked by 1 person