Common Shorebirds
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Photo: Davor Desancic Davor Photo: Happy birding! Happy viewing shorebirds. viewing Bay shoreline parks provide such resources along along resources such provide parks shoreline Bay human world with which we share this planet. planet. this share we which with world human opportunities for for opportunities where abundant food resources exist. Our East East Our exist. resources food abundant where thus essential to shorebird survival. shorebird to essential thus conservation and a desire to protect the non- the protect to desire a and conservation visitors with outstanding outstanding with visitors to travel in vast flocks and stop at feeding areas areas feeding at stop and flocks vast in travel to sites is essential to successful migration, and and migration, successful to essential is sites the natural world, and with it a dedication to to dedication a it with and world, natural the avocet habitats and provide provide and habitats which requires food. Migrating shorebirds tend tend shorebirds Migrating food. requires which Flyway. Protection of these important stopover stopover important these of Protection Flyway. find that you develop a sense of connection to to connection of sense a develop you that find American American California’s coastal coastal California’s Migratory flight requires large amounts of energy, energy, of amounts large requires flight Migratory the migratory route known as the Pacific Pacific the as known route migratory the that visit our East Bay shores each year. You may may You year. each shores Bay East our visit that crucial sections of of sections crucial Spend time getting to know the varied shorebirds shorebirds varied the know to getting time Spend Rest Stops Rest parks that both protect protect both that parks the use of a spotting scope and tripod. and scope spotting a of use the collection of shoreline shoreline of collection birder, shorebird watching can be enhanced with with enhanced be can watching shorebird birder, District manages a a manages District While binoculars are an indispensable tool for any any for tool indispensable an are binoculars While East Bay Regional Park Park Regional Bay East rest in open areas, allowing unobstructed views. views. unobstructed allowing areas, open in rest as “shorebirds.” The The “shorebirds.” as Unlike forest birds, shorebirds tend to feed and and feed to tend shorebirds birds, forest Unlike are collectively known known collectively are Shorebirds can be a pleasure to view and identify. identify. and view to pleasure a be can Shorebirds feeding on shores. These These shores. on feeding Shorebirds birds that specialize in in specialize that birds to many different different many to Spotting coasts are home home are coasts and a willet a and that comprise our our comprise that a marbled godwit, godwit, marbled a and salt marshes marshes salt and A long-billed curlew, curlew, long-billed A beaches, mudflats, mudflats, beaches, North America. The The America. North the best bird habitats in in habitats bird best the coastline contain some of of some contain coastline California’s 1,500 miles of of miles 1,500 California’s San Francisco Bay Francisco San Shorebirds in the the in Shorebirds curlew Long-billed Long-billed into water to search for food. food. for search to water into and muddy areas, while longer-billed birds wade wade birds longer-billed while areas, muddy and feeding habitats. Those with shorter bills use dry dry use bills shorter with Those habitats. feeding species begin to separate into their preferred preferred their into separate to begin species shorebirds will demonstrate this as tides recede, recede, tides as this demonstrate will shorebirds mudflat or coastline. Watching a mixed flock of of flock mixed a Watching coastline. or mudflat northern nesting grounds are frozen. are grounds nesting northern multiple species to feed on the same stretch of of stretch same the on feed to species multiple to year each travel and Arctic the in nest species visit California during the fall and winter when their their when winter and fall the during California visit feed in unique niches with little overlap, allowing allowing overlap, little with niches unique in feed shorebird American North of two-thirds Almost than 15,000 miles on their annual migration. They They migration. annual their on miles 15,000 than partitioning.” Birds with different types of bills bills of types different with Birds partitioning.” journeys. migratory their on distances vast covering Central and South America, many traversing more more traversing many America, South and Central When feeding, shorebirds practice “resource “resource practice shorebirds feeding, When travelers, long-distance champion are Shorebirds Finding a Place to Feed to Place a Finding Travelers Long-distance Willet Greater/Lesser Yellowlegs Common Shorebirds Tringa semipalmata Tringa melanoleuca Length: 15” Wing Span: 26” Length: 14” Wing Span: 28” in the East Bay A large, stocky, gray-brown wader, the willet Tringa flavipes Regional Park District is rather nondescript in its juvenile, adult, and Length: 10.5” Wing Span: 24” 2950 Peralta Oaks Court, Oakland, CA 94605 breeding plumages. When in flight, however, Concealing one long leg completely under its feathers, 1-888-EBPARKS or 1-888-327-2757 (TRS 711) an eye-catching black and white wing-pattern the yellowlegs sometimes hops about on its other leg, ebparks.org makes it easy to identify. The willet was named thus creating the false impression that it is injured. for its call, which sounds like “will-will-will- Unlike the killdeer, which feigns injury to distract let” repeatedly quickly in a loud voice. Willets predators, the yellowlegs is simply conserving warmth. Visitor Centers breed around marshy meadows and lakes at The lesser high elevations and winter on our coastal Ardenwood Historic Farm, Fremont yellowlegs 510-544-2797, [email protected] mudflats, shores, and ocean beaches. is about Big Break Regional Shoreline, Oakley An excellent probe feeder, four inches the willet dines on Big Break Visitor Center at the Delta smaller 510-544-3050, [email protected] insects, crustaceans, in length and and plants. wingspread than Black Diamond Mines Regional Preserve, Antioch the greater, and the 510-544-2750, [email protected] two species are so similar they Coyote Hills Regional Park, Fremont can only be distinguished with great 510-544-3220, [email protected] attention to subtle differences in bill length Crown Memorial State Beach, Alameda Willet with and call notes. Ever alert, yellowlegs often Crab Cove Visitor Center and Aquarium a crab perform sentry duty, insistently warning 510-544-3187, [email protected] Photo: Lee Greengrass other shorebirds of potential danger. Del Valle Regional Park, Livermore 510-544-3146, [email protected] Open summer weekends Garin/Dry Creek Pioneer Regional Parks, Hayward 510-544-3220 (Coyote Hills), [email protected] Open summer weekends Sunol-Ohlone Regional Wilderness, Sunol 510-544-3249, [email protected] Open weekends only Tilden Regional Park, Berkeley Botanic Garden: 510-544-3169, [email protected] Tilden Nature Area/Environmental Education Center 510-544-2233, [email protected] Regional Parks Membership enjoy free day-use parking, swimming, dog pass, and more. 510-544-2220 regionalparksfoundation.org On the cover: Short-billed dowitchers Greater and lesser yellowlegs Photos courtesy Jerry Ting unless otherwise noted. Soy Ink Bug 20200514 goes here Common Shorebirds Brochure 2020-05-14.indd 1 5/14/20 4:21 PM Photo: Davor Desancic Davor Photo: Happy birding! Happy viewing shorebirds. viewing Bay shoreline parks provide such resources along along resources such provide parks shoreline Bay human world with which we share this planet. planet. this share we which with world human opportunities for for opportunities where abundant food resources exist. Our East East Our exist. resources food abundant where thus essential to shorebird survival. shorebird to essential thus conservation and a desire to protect the non- the protect to desire a and conservation visitors with outstanding outstanding with visitors to travel in vast flocks and stop at feeding areas areas feeding at stop and flocks vast in travel to sites is essential to successful migration, and and migration, successful to essential is sites the natural world, and with it a dedication to to dedication a it with and world, natural the avocet habitats and provide provide and habitats which requires food. Migrating shorebirds tend tend shorebirds Migrating food. requires which Flyway. Protection of these important stopover stopover important these of Protection Flyway. find that you develop a sense of connection to to connection of sense a develop you that find American American California’s coastal coastal California’s Migratory flight requires large amounts of energy, energy, of amounts large requires flight Migratory the migratory route known as the Pacific Pacific the as known route migratory the that visit our East Bay shores each year. You may may You year. each shores Bay East our visit that crucial sections of of sections crucial Spend time getting to know the varied shorebirds shorebirds varied the know to getting time Spend Rest Stops Rest parks that both protect protect both that parks the use of a spotting scope and tripod. and scope spotting a of use the collection of shoreline shoreline of collection birder, shorebird watching can be enhanced with with enhanced be can watching shorebird birder, District manages a a manages District While binoculars are an indispensable tool for any any for tool indispensable an are binoculars While East Bay Regional Park Park Regional Bay East rest in open areas, allowing unobstructed views. views. unobstructed allowing areas, open in rest as “shorebirds.” The The “shorebirds.” as Unlike forest birds, shorebirds tend to feed and and feed to tend shorebirds birds, forest Unlike are collectively known known collectively are Shorebirds can be a pleasure to view and identify.