Birds of Frenchmans Creek_Guidebook and Checklist_2020_Updat

Sanderlings are easy to find on sandy beaches from fall through spring. Pick a beach with a low, grad- ual slope and walk along the water’s edge. Look for small shorebirds running back and forth in sync with the waves—these are likely to be Sanderlings. While other shorebirds such as plovers and Willets may feed alongside Sanderlings on these outer beaches, this is truly the Sanderling’s domain; these plucky birds often aggressively defend their feeding territories at water’s edge from other shorebirds.

Look for Laughing Gulls at the beach, especially during summer when their crisp black hoods and red bills make them easy to pick out from other gull spe- cies. You may also notice that their back and wings (the mantle) are considerably darker than common medium-sized gulls such as Ring-billed Gulls; this can also help you to pick them out from a crowd.

Can be found around any body of water but prefers beaches and flats. Often with flocks of other large gulls. Common in Eurasia. Population in North America has increased dramatically in the last couple decades; now regular on the Atlantic coast, rarer inland and farther west.