Birdland: The Dapper Spotted Sandpiper
With bold dark spots on bright white breasts, teetering gait and showy courtship dance, Spotted Sandpipers are easy to identify, particularly during breeding season. These shorebirds have what the Cornell Lab of Ornithology discretely describes as “intriguing social lives.” That includes a breeding strategy called polyandry, where a female mates with up to four males, who then care for their clutch of eggs. This little Spotty was photographed by Park Hill resident Mark Silverstein at Belmar Park in Lakewood.