Calidris minutilla is the smallest of the "peeps", in fact the smallest sandpiper in the world. Sparrow-sized, and usually found in pairs or small, loose flocks, quite unlike the large concentrations formed by its congeners the western and semipalmated sandpipers. The leasts we saw on Cape Cod were mostly paired up.
Least sandpipers frequent mudflats and sandy beaches; occasionally they will forage even in light surf, though not in the frantic manner of sanderlings, another Calidris species (and, by my reckoning, an honorary peep).
Least sandpipers are usually quite nervous—their tendency to glance around constantly is sometimes used as a field mark to differentiate them from other peeps—but with her unobtrusive approach Jessa was able to put the high-strung little pipers at their ease, capturing them scratching, preening, and even bathing without apparent concern.
"Thanks for all the lovely sandpiper pictures, Jessa," said I.
"Not to worry," she replied gallantly. "It was the least that I could do."
No comments:
Post a Comment