2506_1441 Upland Sandpiper
There seemed to be more Upland Sandpipers than usual this year during breeding season. Fluctuations is species numbers are unpredictable, and I never know from year to year who will be present and who will be missing. Its small head and long, thin neck are I.D. markers, although it seems that I stumbled on a neckless variety here (in reality it's just hunkering down - ready to fly if the rolling red Toyota blind should suddenly jump the ditch).
From Cornell Lab: "Upland Sandpiper’s association with native prairie is so strong that scientists consider it to be an 'indicator species,' along with Sprague’s Pipit and Baird’s Sparrow, that can indicate the quality of a habitat. Thus, the absence of these three birds in a patch of prairie would indicate to biologists that there is likely a problem with the habitat."
All three of the above species can be found in and near Grasslands National Park, although the Upland Sandpiper is by far the most common. This is a shorebird, but I've never seen it anywhere near a shore. A line of fence posts seems to be its preferred habitat.
Photographed near Val Marie, Saskatchewan (Canada). Don't use this image on websites, blogs, or other media without explicit permission ©2025 James R. Page - all rights reserved.
2506_1441 Upland Sandpiper
There seemed to be more Upland Sandpipers than usual this year during breeding season. Fluctuations is species numbers are unpredictable, and I never know from year to year who will be present and who will be missing. Its small head and long, thin neck are I.D. markers, although it seems that I stumbled on a neckless variety here (in reality it's just hunkering down - ready to fly if the rolling red Toyota blind should suddenly jump the ditch).
From Cornell Lab: "Upland Sandpiper’s association with native prairie is so strong that scientists consider it to be an 'indicator species,' along with Sprague’s Pipit and Baird’s Sparrow, that can indicate the quality of a habitat. Thus, the absence of these three birds in a patch of prairie would indicate to biologists that there is likely a problem with the habitat."
All three of the above species can be found in and near Grasslands National Park, although the Upland Sandpiper is by far the most common. This is a shorebird, but I've never seen it anywhere near a shore. A line of fence posts seems to be its preferred habitat.
Photographed near Val Marie, Saskatchewan (Canada). Don't use this image on websites, blogs, or other media without explicit permission ©2025 James R. Page - all rights reserved.