Sanderling (Calidris alba) a.k.a. Beach-bird or Surf Snipe In winter plumage, Sanderlings are small sandpipers that are whitish below and gray above. They have short black bills, which they plunge into wet sand searching for food (see photo right). On Block Island, Sanderlings are seen during their early fall migration and throughout the winter, until early spring when they migrate to their breeding grounds. During this time they are most likely seen in small groups probing the soft sands of Andy's Way or scampering along the surf line of Crescent Beach. Sanderlings have the following characteristics:     they are 7 to 8 inches long. females tend to be slightly larger than males; otherwise the plumage is similar. they are the only sandpiper with 3 forward facing toes (all others have a short rear-facing fourth toe). they eat minute crustaceans, worms, insects, mosquito larvae, and Horseshoe Crab and fish eggs. Sanderlings, like many shore birds, undertake tremendous migrations. They breed on the Arctic tundra near the Arctic Circle around the world, and in the Americas, they winter along the Atlantic and Pacific shores from southern Canada to the southern tip of South America. Sanderling facts: A Sanderling nest is a mere hollow in the ground lined with grasses, leaves and lichens. Typically, 4 eggs are laid. Both the male and female incubate the eggs for 23 to 24 days. Sanderlings are one of the few shore birds that one is likely to see during the winter on Block Island. Their habit of running along the water's edge as it washes ashore is distinctive and a delight to watch. Edward Howe Forbush has described this eloquently in Birds of Massachusetts and Other New England States (1927). "HAUNTS AND HABITS. Sanderlings follow the sea. They run over pale sand where storm-tossed breakers roar, for there in the wake of the storm they find their sustenance. The turmoil of the surf stirs up the sandy bottom and the rush of the waves throws many tiny waifs of sea life upon the shelving beach, where the backwash bears them again to the sea. Here, where breakers thunder down and flying spray obscures the scene, the little Sanderlings, ever on the alert, run nimbly into the returning flood to snatch up many a choice tidbit, and then trip lightly up the slope, ahead of the incoming wave. Sometimes they venture in too far, and must rise on fluttering wings to avoid the onset of the next surge. Real "children of the sand" they always may be found in their season along the open seacoast or on the shores of large bodies of fresh water, where the surf runs high." To learn more...     head for a sandy shore line and take a walk; perhaps you'll see the little Beach-bird scampering just ahead of you; or, go to the Sanderling section of the All About Birds website; or, see the following references, which were used in producing this page: - Frank Chapman, Birds of Eastern North America (1895) - Edward Howe Forbush, Birds of Massachusetts and Other New England States (1927) - Arthur Morris, Shorebirds: Beautiful Beachcombers (1996) - Roger Tory Peterson, Birds of Eastern and Central North America (5th edition, 2002) - Scott Weidensaul, Living on the Wind (1999) During the migration and non-breeding seasons, Sanderlings can be seen throughout an extensive range of shorelines on six continents; therefore, little is known about their global population trends. However, for reasons not completely understood, there appear to have been significant declines in the occurrence of Sanderlings in eastern North America over the past 30 years. A leading hypothesis is that the decline of Sanderlings (and other shorebirds) may be related to a decline in Horseshoe Crabs and thus their eggs, which are a valuable food source for migrating shore birds. View All "Critters of Block Island" Ocean View Foundation Connecting People and Nature