Final Conference Birding Observations

One of the more delightful aspects of birdwatching is the study of bird behavior. I had an opportunity to observe some of the humblest of shorebirds when at music conference this past weekend. The most fascinating and amusing behavior came from the little Sanderlings. These birds are fairly social and I've always seen them in groups of four or more. Over time, I've realized that they have a dog-like pack behavior and that there's often an aggressive alpha bird in each group. We watched as the given alpha fluffed itself up into a presumably scary shape (pictured) and charged other Sanderlings. I expect the alpha was less territorial than piratical, inasmuch as all the charging around consumed energy and the alpha-cum-pirate wasn't otherwise feeding in the surf. I didn't think this was an especially effective behavior, but there must be some benefit to the birds else this would have been evolved out long ago. If only I could see these behaviors more often! Well we shall see what comes next time we visit the summertime beach.