Pectoral Sandpiper

While most of our sandpipers occur in their largest numbers along the NH coast, the Pectoral Sandpiper is something of an exception. While it can be found in mixed flocks on beaches and salt marsh roosts, it is much more common (but never abundant) inland in freshwater habitats like flooded fields, farm ponds, and sewage lagoons. Most of its breeding range is west of Hudson Bay in arctic Canada and Alaska, meaning that the bulk of spring and fall migration occur through the central portion of North America rather than the east coast. Unlike most of the shorebirds that visit New Hampshire, Pectoral Sandpipers have an unusual mating system. Males are 50% larger by weight than females and often have multiple mates – either at the same time or sequentially. Their complicated mating display involves an inflatable throat sack, hoot-like vocalizations, and a much posturing on the ground in the manner of a prairie-chicken.