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Spotted Sandpiper Photos

Photography by Terry Sohl

My Favorite: My usual sighting of a Spotted Sandpiper is when one flies away from me, with that characteristics, rapid shallow-wing-beat flight of theirs. They breed here and I do see them occasionally throughout the spring and summer, but I have surprisingly few photos of them. The ONLY photos I have of them in nice sunshine are photos 7 through 12 below, of the same bird at Newton Hills State Park on the morning of May 10th, 2020. It was an unseasonably cold morning, with temperatures hovering right around freezing, so perhaps with the cold this bird wasn't as apt to use energy and fly away! No matter the reason, I got some truly wonderful, close range shots of him that morning.

Spotted Sandpiper - Actitis macularius

Spotted Sandpiper 1 - Actitis macularius

Spotted Sandpiper 2 - Actitis macularius

Spotted Sandpiper 3 - Actitis macularius

Spotted Sandpiper 4 - Actitis macularius

Spotted Sandpiper 1

Spotted Sandpiper 2

Spotted Sandpiper 3 

Spotted Sandpiper 4 

August 12th, 2005 

August 12th, 2005 

August 12th, 2005 

May 27th, 2013 

Lake Thompson, South Dakota

Lake Thompson, South Dakota 

Lake Thompson, South Dakota 

Minnehaha County, South Dakota 

Bird transitioning out of summer plumage 

Non-breeding / immature bird at lake's edge 

Non-breeding / immature bird at lake's edge  

Adult spring-plumaged bird in shallow water 

Spotted Sandpiper 5 - Actitis macularius

Spotted Sandpiper 6 - Actitis macularius

Spotted Sandpiper 7 - Actitis macularius

Spotted Sandpiper 8 - Actitis macularius

Spotted Sandpiper 5

Spotted Sandpiper 6 

Spotted Sandpiper 7

Spotted Sandpiper 8 

May 27th, 2013 

May 27th, 2013 

May 10th, 2020 

May 10th, 2020 

Minnehaha County, South Dakota 

Minnehaha County, South Dakota 

Newton Hills State Park, South Dakota 

Newton Hills State Park, South Dakota 

Bird foraging at water's edge in shallow stream 

Bird foraging at water's edge in shallow stream  

Profile of bird in sunlight on gravelly beach 

Profile of bird in sunlight on gravelly beach  

Spotted Sandpiper 9 - Actitis macularius

Spotted Sandpiper 10 - Actitis macularius

Spotted Sandpiper 11 -  Actitis macularius

Spotted Sandpiper 12 - Actitis macularius

Spotted Sandpiper 9 

Spotted Sandpiper 10

Spotted Sandpiper 11

Spotted Sandpiper 12

May 10th, 2020

May 10th, 2020 

May 10th, 2020 

May 10th, 2020 

Newton Hills State Park, South Dakota 

Newton Hills State Park, South Dakota 

Newton Hills State Park, South Dakota 

Newton Hills State Park, South Dakota 

Bird walking on gravelly beach in sunlight 

Sandpiper on shoreline of Lake Lakota 

Sandpiper on shoreline of Lake Lakota  

Bird standing in shallow water at lake edge 

Spotted Sandpiper 13 - Actitis macularius 

Spotted Sandpiper 14 - Actitis macularius 

Spotted Sandpiper 15 - Actitis macularius 

Spotted Sandpiper 16 - Actitis macularius 

Spotted Sandpiper 13

Spotted Sandpiper 14

Spotted Sandpiper 15

Spotted Sandpiper 16

May 21st, 2017 

May 21st, 2017

May 21st, 2017 

May 21st, 2017 

Lincoln County, South Dakota 

Lincoln County, South Dakota 

Lincoln County, South Dakota 

Lincoln County, South Dakota 

Bird walking in thick grass 

Sandpiper posing in grass at edge of flooded ditch 

Profile of bird at edge of a flooded ditch 

Profile of bird at edge of a flooded ditch  

Spotted Sandpiper 17 - Actitis macularius 

Spotted Sandpiper 18 - Actitis macularius 

 

 

Spotted Sandpiper 17

Spotted Sandpiper 18

 

 

August 1st, 2020 

August 2nd, 2020

 

 

Newton Hills State Park, South Dakota 

Newton Hills State Park, South Dakota  

 

 

Juvenile, first-year bird on sandy beach 

Bird walking on shoreline of Lake Lakota 

 

 

Click here for the species description page for the Spotted Sandpiper.

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Please mail any comments/suggestions/additional links for this page to: Terry L. Sohl