With the arrival of August it seems that summer is almost over, most birds have
finished breeding, and cooler weather must be coming soon. But one of the
surest signs of the approaching end of summer is the first arrival of migrating
birds that breed in the far north. While on a bike ride to Byellsby Dam along
the New River Trail in SW VA on July 26, I was surprised to see a solitary
sandpiper feeding along a mud flat. It would appear that this bird has already
bred in the far north and is now returning to its winter home in Central or
South America.
It is always surprising to me that the breeding of these long distance migrants
is so quick, and the distances traveled so great. Conditions in Canada must be
very conducive to breeding to justify the dangers of migration to accomplish
this rapid reproductive cycle. Yet how often do we fail to express our wonder
at such amazing feats of avian athleticism and the remarkable evolutionary
pathways that led to such migratory behavior?
Bill Dunson
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Solitary sandpiper at Byellsby Dam 7.26.15 Bill Dunson IMG_8348 aaa.jpg
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