About the Sanderlings Drawing
Sanderlings are among the most familiar and entertaining birds along sandy beaches. I have watched them many times as they scurry up the shore ahead of an incoming wave, then immediately follow the retreating water back down the beach to search for whatever small prey it has exposed. Their constant movement gives the impression that the birds and waves are engaged in an endless chase.
Sanderlings (Calidris alba) breed far to the north on High Arctic tundra, yet during migration and winter they occur along coastlines across much of the world. They probe and pick through wet sand for small crustaceans, worms, mollusks, horseshoe crab eggs, and other invertebrates left behind by receding waves.
The pale birds most people encounter on winter beaches look very different during the breeding season. Their soft gray-and-white nonbreeding plumage is replaced by a mottled combination of black, white, and rich rusty coloration across the head, neck, and back before they return to the Arctic.
Although Sanderlings remain widespread, recent monitoring indicates that their populations have declined substantially. Because they migrate enormous distances, they depend on suitable breeding grounds, wintering beaches, and productive stopover sites throughout their annual journey. Shoreline development, heavy recreational use of beaches, pollution, and disturbance can reduce the habitat and food available to them.
In Sanderlings, I portrayed a small group standing and resting together at the water’s edge in their subdued nonbreeding plumage. Their rounded bodies, layered feathers, partially hidden legs, and quiet reflections capture a moment of stillness in birds more often seen running rapidly along the shoreline.
Sanderlings is a graphite wildlife drawing of Sanderlings (Calidris alba) by Michael E. Dorcas for Tantilla Art.