Baird’s sandpiper: The elegant peep

Although identifying shorebirds can be challenging, I promise you it is not impossible to learn. If you are new to shorebirds one technique to help you begin learning is to narrow down the playing field.

Let’s start with sandpipers in the genus Calidris bairdii. These small sandpipers are nicknamed “peeps.” There are 24, but only nine that can be found in Western Montana, and five that are commonly seen.  

Baird’s Sandpipers are one of the most recognizable of the sandpipers, with soft buff and brown tones in the feathers, unlike the grayish brown in other sandpipers. They have white bellies and a streaky breast. Juveniles – what you will be seeing here in the Flathead Valley – look like adults but have a buffy breast and scaly underparts. Their black legs and black bill are long for their size and the bill has a slight droop.  

Baird’s can also be compared with other sandpipers you might see in Western Montana by their size – larger than the Least, Western, and Semipalmated Sandpipers, smaller than the Pectoral Sandpiper. They are 5.5 – 7.1 inches tall.  

Wings are what truly separate Baird’s from other small sandpipers. With very long, tapered wings extending well past the tail tip, they are truly one of the most elegant of the peeps. These adaptations to the wing allow the birds to migrate long distances in a short amount of time. 

Fall migration takes them from the tundra to as far as the tip of South America, up to 9,300 miles, in as little as five weeks. While adult Baird’s Sandpipers migrate at a rapid pace through a narrow corridor in the Central Flyway, juveniles have a much broader migration path and travel at a leisurely pace. 

This is great for us Montana birders who like to watch shorebirds. We can often view them as they pass through the Flathead Valley and feed at Split Pond, Somers Beach State Park, North Shore Flathead Lake WPA, Farm Road, and West Valley Ponds. They are fairly common in late summer as they stop over for longer periods of time than during the spring migration. 

Behavior also distinguishes Baird’s from other sandpipers. Preferring drier habitat than most other shorebirds, they have earned the nickname “grasspipers” for their tendency to forage in drier, vegetated areas. They can be found along the muddy edges of ponds, lakes, and rivers, in grassy pastures and fields, prairies, and even rain puddles. 

When seen with other shorebirds, they are often seen foraging near them but not with them, and along the drier areas at the edges of flocks of other birds. They have a quick, brisk step as they forage, and usually pick their prey from the ground rather than by probing into the sand or mud. Insects make up most of their diet. 

Armed with what you have learned it is time to go out and practice identifying these small peeps. You will soon feel confident in your skills and ready to take on the challenge of learning about another small sandpiper. Good luck and have fun!