Passing Through (Again)

Solitary Sandpiper in Search of Breakfast, Homer Lake Wetland, August 31, 2021

Over the past week, the mornings that I've been at the wetland I've been joined by one or two solitary sandpipers (is "two solitary sandpipers" an oxymoron?). Thinking back to the post I shared on August 21,  "Residents, Regulars and Tourists," the solitary sandpipers fit into the tourist category. There was a solitary sandpiper passing through back at the end of April, which spent at least a couple of days enjoying the hospitality of the wetland. That one would have been on its way to the breeding grounds in Canada. The two I've been seeing this past week would be headed back from Canada to South America to spend the winter. They too have found the wetland to their liking as a convenient stopover to rest up and get replenished before continuing on their journey.

One of the factors now that make it an attractive stopover is the expanding muddy shoreline as the water recedes. Solitary sandpipers wade in the shallow water and search the muddy shores for delicious morsels. So far my attempts to get a good photo of what they're eating have failed because whatever it is is small enough it goes down fast. My field guide though says they eat insects, including dragonfly naiads, and sometimes small frogs...  The muddy shores right now feature scads of tiny metamorph Blanchard's cricket frogs that scatter to get out of my way as I make my rounds, so whatever else the solitary sandpipers are eating, I'm guessing that frog is on the menu when they can catch them.

In the photo, the area behind the two foraging solitary sandpipers was completely underwater for most of the summer. Water levels are going down fairly quickly now.

Two Solitary Sandpipers Foraging at the Wetland, August 24, 2021