Shorebirds II: The Sandpipers

In the first part of this pair of posts introducing our local shorebirds, I covered the three smaller families of shorebirds in Northeast Marin, together comprising seven species among the stilts and avocets, plovers, and oystercatchers. Today, I follow up with the extensive and varied array of birds belonging to our most diverse shorebird family, the sandpipers.

Shorebirds I: The Smaller Families

Our local selection of shorebirds includes representatives from four taxonomic families: the stilts and avocets, the plovers, one oystercatcher , and a host of widely varying birds in the sandpiper family. Today, I’ll share the general skinny on shorebirds in our area and present a brief tour of the seven birds of the first three families; a follow-up article will discuss the remaining 16 species of the diverse sandpiper family.