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Dunlin

Status Fairly common transient, rare in winter. It is a rare spring migrant, with scattered records between 12 April and 30 May. It is a rather common fall migrant, with a few reports for July (earliest 5 July), but is rarely noted before mid-August. It is usually most numerous in September and early October but in some years is still plentiful in early November; stragglers are regular through December. A few have evidently overwintered on the Southwestern Shore; at Martinique Beach, Halifax County; and near Glace Bay.

Description Length: 20-23 cm. All plumages: Bill slightly down-curved; legs and feet black. Adults in summer: Back and crown predominantly rich red-brown, marked with black streaks; breast, neck and face gray, streaked with white; throat white; large black patch on abdomen. Adults in autumn: Soft uniform gray above, suffusing across breast; remainder white; light eyebrow line; occasionally fall adults retain a few of the red feathers of summer on their backs and some individuals show traces of the black abdominal patch.

Range In North America, breeds across the Arctic, migrating down both coasts and through the interior. Winters on the coasts from Alaska and Massachusetts (rarely Nova Scotia) south to Mexico. Occurs also in the Old World.

Remarks This stocky, short-legged bird shows a strong preference for sandy beaches with their adjacent mudflats, where it feeds during receding tides. It is generally seen in small flocks of occasionally 100 birds or more. When the Dunlin is seen in autumn, its long, slightly down-curved bill is its best field mark; in breeding plumage, the black abdominal patch and the reddish brown upperparts are unmistakable.