Pectoral Sandpiper - Richmond, BC

During the hunt for the rare Sharp-tailed Sandpiper at Iona Island, the large flock of Pectoral Sandpipers were very close indeed. Most of the birds here look very similar to the "sharpie." This birds breed north in the arctic circle and migrate their way south mostly through the Central, Mississippi and Atlantic Flyways. Some fly down the Pacific flyway and they all end up spreading out in South America. These birds were here for at least a week filling up for the long journey south. Pectoral sandpipers can be told during migration by the streaked chest larger size than most of the peeps here on the coast. It is named for the air sacs it fills up during breeding causing the chest to puff out.