Tuesday, December 9, 2008

U is for....

Upland sandpiper...

In the post immediately below this one, I introduced the Nebraska Sandhills. One of the birds often seen there is the Upland sandpiper. The very first time I saw one, it was sitting on a post like this one


larger image


The Upland sandpiper is one of the few shorebirds that seems to be disinterested in water. They breed and feed in prairies and grasslands. They are typically seen standing on fence posts or in tallgrass, midgrass and shortgrass prairies.


larger image


larger image


The number of Upland sandpipers have declined as grasslands have been converted to cropland.

They usually arrive in Nebraska during the latter part of March, and migrate south by middle, late October. They are usually solitary, but as they ready for migration to South America, they "flock up".

For more "U is for" postings visit ABC Wednesdays


8 comments:

Leslie: said...

Great photos of an interesting bird.

Anonymous said...

Very wonderful shot! Your place is so blessed with lots of birds!

You can check my "U" picture here. Happy mid-week!

Anonymous said...

The Upland sandpiper looks quite elegant with its long and slendor neck. Good informative post.

Happy Holidays.....

Bear Naked said...

Pretty little bird.
Great shots you got.

Bear((( )))

photowannabe said...

Super shots of the sandpiper and I enjoyed reading about the Nebraska Sandhills. I learned something new. Thank you.

Rune Eide said...

Nice to see birds that we don't have. I preferred the frost one.

Liesel said...

What a fantastic bird! Beuatiful!

Richard Lawry said...

Now I know why I don't have an Uplander Sandpiper on my life list

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