Sanderlings

October 2011 – Ft. Stevens on the Oregon Coast

A couple more images of a flock of Sanderlings that were running up and down the beach… sometimes flying to a new location.

Flock of Sanderlings

I was having fun photographing these birds until some idiot driving his car on the beach (yes, this is allowed on this particular beach) drove right through the flock and made them scatter. I’m sure he didn’t give it any thought. I suppose that’s the definition of being a “thoughtless jerk”. These birds live a precarious existence, just scraping by on little morsels they extract from the inter-tidal zone. Any little bit of stress added to their lives is harmful to them. Sure, these aren’t rare birds, but they deserve their space.

Sanderling

Earlier Image

These restless little birds gather in large flocks for protection. They run along sandy beaches, continuously probing for tiny morsels.