Least Sandpiper – Ethical Birder

“Autumn” Shorebirds

July 28, 2025 by John Rakestraw, posted in seasonal movements

While we still have a lot of summer to go, the southbound shorebird migration has begun. This adult Least Sandpiper was working the Columbia River shoreline at Broughton Beach.

Most of the birds that migrate early in the season are adults, but I found one juvenile Least Sandpiper mixed in with the flock. Note the brighter colors typical of young birds.

A small flock of Semipalmated Plovers shared the river beach with the Least Sandpipers. It is always a treat to see the Semipalms still in breeding plumage.

So handsome

I don’t really count Killdeer as migrants, since you can usually find some around all year, but they are lovely birds.

Numbers and species diversity should pick up a lot in the next few weeks.

Happy Autumn (in summer)

Shorebirds

September 6, 2023September 6, 2023 by John Rakestraw, posted in seasonal movements

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Late summer is shorebird season. There isn’t a lot else going on, bird-wise, so now is the time to study these long-distance migrants and hope for something unusual to show up. Western Sandpipers are among the most common species.

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This juvenile Western Sandpiper is already molting into their first winter plumage. Some gray feathers are appearing on the wings and the rusty “suspenders” that young Westerns are known for are fading.

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Here is a Least Sandpiper in fresh juvenile plumage.

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Long-billed Dowitchers

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This is a juvenile Semipalmated Sandpiper with a Least in the background. Semipalmateds were a really big deal anywhere in Oregon 20 years ago, but I think birders are just getting better at recognizing them now.

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It is always nice when a Wilson’s Snipe comes out into the open.

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Killdeer

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Western Sandpiper preening

Happy (late) summer!

Late Summer

August 3, 2023 by John Rakestraw, posted in seasonal movements

Summer birding can be tough. Songbird activity has slowed way down. Shorebirds are starting to come through on their southward migrations, but hot and bright conditions limit one’s birding to the early morning hours. Unfortunately for me, our young dog also demands attention in the early morning hours, so my outings have been limited. Here are a few photos from recent weeks.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA — Green Herons are fickle. They often stay hidden in thick vegetation along the shore, but sometimes they will just strut out into the open sunshine.

Happy summer.

Shorebirds at Tualatin River NWR

September 8, 2022 by John Rakestraw, posted in OR Birding Sites, seasonal movements

Tualatin River National Wildlife Refuge has been good for southbound shorebirds this summer. Early in the season, the Long-billed Dowitchers were still sporting their breeding plumage.

At this point, most of the dowitchers have molted into winter plumage.

Normally seen later in the fall, a few Pectoral Sandpipers have made an appearance at the refuge.

Up to three young Wilson’s Phalaropes were at the refuge this summer.

Least Sandpiper

Greater Yellowlegs are one of the more common, and more vocal, of the migrant shorebirds.

Lesser Yellowlegs are harder to find, but have been reliable at the refuge this summer.

Occasionally, the Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs will pose together for a nice comparison.

This Wilson’s Snipe made an unusual appearance out in the open.

Shorebird migration lasts through October, but the water at the refuge typically dries up before then. We’ll see how recent restoration efforts affect water levels this year.

Happy summer

Wet (land) Birds

October 30, 2021October 26, 2021 by John Rakestraw, posted in seasonal movements

Here are some non-waterfowl that I’ve seen in various wetlands recently.

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I often struggle with photographing white birds, but this Great Egret came out OK.

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Most of the shorebirds have moved on, but a few Least Sandpipers are still around.

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The winter sparrow flocks are building up. This Golden-crowned Sparrow was still sporting their breeding plumage.

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Golden-crowned Sparrow taking a bath

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Song Sparrow

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I remember when it was hard to find Lesser Goldfinches in the Portland area, but they usually outnumber American Goldfinches now.

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Lesser Goldfinch taking a bath

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Belted Kingfisher sharing a perch with a European Starling

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Red-winged Blackbird striking a pose

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The numbers of Nutria in the Willamette Valley have exploded in recent years. The are indeed non-native and invasive, but the babies are so cute.

Happy Autumn

Summer in the Wetlands

August 11, 2021 by John Rakestraw, posted in seasonal movements

Our brutal summer continues. When the weather is this hot and dry, the best bird diversity is usually found around wetlands, so I spent a little time at Fernhill Wetlands and Jackson Bottom.

b phoebe small The first record of Black Phoebe in Washington County was in 2006 (by yours truly). Now they are rare but regular at both Jackson Bottom and Fernhill.

Shorebird migration is in full swing. Numbers are better at the coast, but some birds are finding the small patches of mud at inland locations. This Least Sandpiper was feeding on some newly exposed mud at Jackson Bottom.

lorquin's admiral Here is the underside of a Lorquin’s Admiral. Those red eyes are intense.

Green Heron at Fernhill
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w pelican small American White Pelican is another species that has become more common in the Portland area is recent years. They don’t nest here, but summer brings large numbers of young birds and post-breeding adults.

Happy Summer

Tillamook

October 6, 2020 by John Rakestraw, posted in OR Birding Sites, seasonal movements

I had to go to Tillamook Bay to get some photos for an upcoming webinar. This particular day had freakishly nice weather, very un-Tillamook-like. Ideally, during fall migration, a birder hopes for onshore winds to bring seabirds and shorebirds close to shore, and a light overcast to provide gentle light for viewing and cool temperatures. This day brought light east winds, a cloudless cobalt blue sky, and temperatures in the 80s. I guess we have to play the cards we are dealt.

This is the Three Graces Tidal Area. The sun hadn’t cleared the hill yet so it was too dark to photograph the Harlequin Duck that was swimming around the rocks. Harlequins are regular at this site.

At the Bay City Oyster Plant, this Double-crested Cormorant was taking advantage of the sun to dry his wings.

Black Phoebe on the pilings at the oyster plant

With the east winds, shorebirds were very rare on this trip. This mixed flock of Least and Western Sandpipers at the oyster plant was the only big flock of the day.

Western Gull, hanging out on the Purple Martin boxes

I did the Tillamook Death March around Bayocean Spit. The ocean side of the spit is typically not as birdy as the bay side, but there was not a single shorebird on this trip.

There had apparently been at least a couple of shorebirds here earlier in the day.

Always glad to see these signs, hope that the Snowy Plover population will continue to recover on the Oregon Coast.

The Common Ravens on the beach were pretty skittish. I wonder if they have been “encouraged” to avoid the plover nesting areas.

There were a lot of these jellyfish near the mouth of the bay. Yet another reason I don’t swim in the ocean.

Despite the summery weather, autumn migrants, like this Red-necked Grebe, are trickling in.

A Mew Gull with two California Gulls

Despite the eerily nice weather, there were a few birds around. We need to remind ourselves that there is always something to see.

Happy Autumn

Inland Shorebirds

May 10, 2019 by John Rakestraw, posted in seasonal movements

From the end of April through the middle of May, migrant shorebird numbers peak along the Oregon coast. I haven’t made it out to the coast yet this spring, but my local inland sites have produced a few species. There isn’t much shorebird habitat in the Portland area in the spring since most bodies of water are full and thus lack mudflats. Muddy edges and flooded soccer fields have to do.

The most unusual find so far has been this Solitary Sandpiper. Solitaries are quite rare in spring (They are pretty rare in autumn, too.) so this bird was a nice surprise.

Least Sandpipers have been passing through in small flocks. This individual is modeling all the classic marks of the species; yellowish legs, upperparts that are brown but not too rusty, and a tiny drooping bill.

On the coast, Western Sandpipers travel in flocks of hundreds, if not thousands, of individuals. In my 5-mile radius so far, I have seen two. Note the dark legs, longer bills, and more rusty coloration.

Other shorebirds seen but not photographed include a flock of Long-billed Dowitchers, the local Killdeer, and my first Spotted Sandpiper of the year.

A trip to the coast next week should give me a good taste of spring shorebird migration. It will seem odd venturing out of my 5MR, but sometimes you have to go to where the birds are.

Happy Spring

Shorebirds on the rocks

December 18, 2017December 15, 2017 by John Rakestraw, posted in behavior

A recent trip to the coast on a sunny and windy day resulted in these images of shorebirds using rocky habitats. Two of these species are usually found on rocks, but the other two are not. I wonder if the blowing sand had driven these birds to the relatively sheltered rocky areas.

Least Sandpipers are hard to spot among the rocks. This bird was part of a small flock near the jetty at Fort Stevens.

This Dunlin was hanging out on a line of rocks near the same jetty. I have seen Dunlin here before.

Surfbirds at the Seaside Cove. Their color closely matches the dry basalt boulders.

Black Turnstones are common winter residents at the Seaside Cove.

an itchy Black Turnstone

Jackson Bottom

July 13, 2017 by John Rakestraw, posted in nesting, OR Birding Sites, seasonal movements

I made a quick visit to Jackson Bottom in Hillsboro. This is a very busy spot in the summer. The Savannah Sparrows are still in full song.

puddle Pintail Pond has been drained to accommodate some restoration work on the site, so it has dried out about two months earlier than normal. This is normally one of the better shorebird sites in the Portland area during the summer, so we will have to find other spot this year. There is only about three weeks between the end of northbound shorebird migration and the beginning of southbound migration. Western and Least Sandpipers have arrived in good numbers, and were feeding in the little puddle that remains of Pintail Pond.