Sanderling Photos

Photography by Terry Sohl

My Favorite: Who among us isn't charmed by the sight of a group of sanderlings along a beach, scampering back and forth en masse whenever a wave comes crashing on the shoreline? We don't get to see that behavior much in South Dakota, as Sanderlings are pretty uncommon migrants here. When I do see them, it's typically a very small group. My favorite Sanderling photo does capture some of the vibe of a Sanderling though, with one here on the shores of Lake Whitewood in South Dakota, acting all casual while a wave is about to hit. From May of 2020.

Sanderling - Calidris alba


Sanderling 1	Sanderling 2	Sanderling 3	Sanderling 4
May 18th, 2011	May 18th, 2011	May 18th, 2011	May 18th, 2011
Lake Thompson, South Dakota	Lake Thompson, South Dakota	Lake Thompson, South Dakota	Lake Thompson, South Dakota
Bird transitioning to summer plumage, foraging on sandy shoreline	Bird transitioning to summer plumage, foraging on sandy shoreline	Bird transitioning to summer plumage, foraging on sandy shoreline	Bird transitioning to summer plumage, wading in shallow water

Sanderling 5	Sanderling 6	Sanderling 7	Sanderling 8
February 13th, 2008	February 13th, 2008	February 13th, 2008	February 13th, 2008
Bon Secour National Wildlife Refuge, Alabama	Bon Secour National Wildlife Refuge, Alabama	Bon Secour National Wildlife Refuge, Alabama	Bon Secour National Wildlife Refuge, Alabama
Winter-plumaged pair of Sanderlings on the beach	Single bird on the beach	Winter-plumaged bird poking around for food on the beach	Winter-plumaged bird poking around for food on the beach

Sanderling 9	Sanderling 10	Sanderling 11	Sanderling 12
February 13th, 2008	February 13th, 2008	February 13th, 2008	December 9th, 2011
Bon Secour National Wildlife Refuge, Alabama	Bon Secour National Wildlife Refuge, Alabama	Bon Secour National Wildlife Refuge, Alabama	Sutro Baths Area, San Francisco, California
Winter plumaged bird on sandy beach	Profile of non-breeding plumaged bird on beach	Non-breeding Sanderling lounging on the beach	Small flock of winter plumaged Sanderlings feeding on a beach

Sanderling 13	Sanderling 14	Sanderling 15	Sanderling 16
December 9th, 2011	December 9th, 2011	April 12th, 2012	May 13th, 2010
Sutro Baths Area, San Francisco, California	Sutro Baths Area, San Francisco, California	Sachuest National Wildlife Refuge, Rhode Island	Western Minnehaha County, South Dakota
Pale winter-plumaged bird heading into the water	Small flock of winter plumaged Sanderlings feeding on a beach	Winter-plumaged bird poking around the rocks	Breeding plumaged Sanderling on a sandy shoreline

Sanderling 17	Sanderling 18	Sanderling 19	Sanderling 20
May 18th, 2020	May 18th, 2020	May 18th, 2020	August 12th, 2020
Lake Whitewood, South Dakota	Lake Whitewood, South Dakota	Lake Whitewood, South Dakota	Lake Whitewood, South Dakota
Summer plumaged bird with wave about to hit	Breeding plumaged bird wading in shallow water	Breeding plumaged Sanderling on a rocky shoreline	Bird transitioning to non-breeding plumage

Sanderling 21
August 12th, 2020
Lake Whitewood, South Dakota
Bird transitioning to winter plumage, foraging in the surf