Spotted Sandpiper
The Spotted Sandpiper visits Salter Grove in small numbers from mid-July through September and is usually seen in the marshy habitats of the park. The Causeway or the Marsh trail are excellent vantage points to see this shorebird as it bobs the rear portion of its body up and down, or as it flits with seemingly stiff wings from one patch of marsh vegetation to another.
It is the most common and widespread sandpiper that breeds in North America, from the northern half of the United States through northern Canada and Alaska. It nests mostly near fresh water, along the shores of lakes, rivers and streams, ranging from low to high elevation sites. Even agricultural fields such as sheep pastures would be acceptable as long as a body of water is nearby.
It winters from southern North America through Central America, and south through most of South America. In migration and during the non-breeding months, it occurs on coastal mudflats, beaches, breakwaters as well inland habitats such as sewage ponds and irrigation ditches. Proximity to water bodies is important in both the breeding and wintering habitats for securing a diet of insects, small crustaceans, spiders, snails, worms, as well as small fish and carrion.
Unusual among shorebirds and most other birds, the female Spotted Sandpiper, which is larger than the male, takes the lead in reproductive activities. She arrives at the breeding grounds before males to establish a territory. She may then mate with up to four males before laying eggs in each of their nests. Males incubate the eggs and tend to the precocial young. Females may help to brood her last clutch of eggs.
An annotated list of Rhode Island birds from 1899 reported that the Spotted Sandpiper was an abundant breeder across the state. However, more recent findings from the Second Atlas of Breeding Birds in Rhode Island (2023) indicated that this widespread and once common sandpiper is now both an uncommon breeding species and visitor.
Expanding populations of gulls, crows and mammalian predators have resulted in an increase in nest predation and a decline of the Spotted Sandpiper. The warming climate is also predicted to shift the breeding range northward which means there will be even fewer breeding Spotted Sandpipers in Rhode Island in the future.
For more information:
https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Spotted_Sandpiper
https://www.audubon.org/field-guide/bird/spotted-sandpiper
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spotted_sandpiper
https://www.birdsbybent.com/////ch1-10/sandpiper.html
Clarkson, C. E., Osenkowski, J. E., Steen, V. A., Duhaime, R. J., and Paton, W.C. (2023) The Second Atlas of Breeding Birds in Rhode Island. Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management Division of Fish and Wildlife. pp. 130-131.
Howe, Jr., R.H. and Sturtevant, E. (1899) The Birds of Rhode Island. p. 53