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Sanderlings        Images © Mark A. Chappell

Sanderlings are the quintessential wintertime beach birds, running before the waves in animated flocks along almost all of the coasts of the temperate and tropical Americas.   They disappear from the south in the northern summer, moving up to the high Arctic to breed (molting into a very different rusty breeding plumage on the way, shown here in various stages of completion).   These birds were on beaches at Crystal Cove State Park in California.   Sanderlings in flight are shown on this page; fully winter-plumage birds are here; an especially big flock is here.

  • Canon 10D, 1D Mk. II, 1D4, or R5, 500 mm f4 IS or 800 mm IS + 1.4X converter, some with fill-in flash (2003-2005, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2022)