Baird's Sandpiper is a small "peep" that stands out from the crowd by its long-winged, streamlined shape: at rest, its folded wingtips extend noticeably past the tip of the tail, giving it a distinctly attenuated, low-slung profile. Buffy-brown with a neatly scaled back and black legs, it tends to favor the drier upper edges of mudflats, beaches, sod farms, and grassy shorelines rather than the wet muck where many peeps feed, which helps in picking it out. It forages with a steady, deliberate picking motion.
Baird's Sandpiper breeds on the high Arctic tundra and is a remarkable long-distance migrant, many flying to the southern tip of South America, and its passage through the interior of the continent brings it through Michigan chiefly in fall, when juveniles in crisp, scaly plumage predominate. Never numerous here, it is a regular and much-appreciated part of the fall shorebird show, and learning its long-winged shape and preference for drier ground is a rewarding step in mastering the confusing small sandpipers.
Feeds on insects and other small invertebrates gleaned with a steady, deliberate picking motion, often on the drier upper edges of mudflats, beaches, and grassy or sod ground rather than in wet muck. It takes terrestrial and shoreline insects, foraging away from the water's edge more than most peeps.
Look for a small peep with a long-winged, streamlined shape — the folded wingtips extend past the tail — plus a buffy, scaly back and black legs. Its preference for drier ground at the edges of flats and on grassy areas also helps.
On the drier upper edges of mudflats, beaches, sod farms, and grassy shorelines, rather than in the wet muck favored by many small sandpipers. This drier-ground habit is a useful identification clue.
Chiefly in fall, when juveniles predominate, passing through the continental interior on the way to wintering grounds as far as southern South America. It nests on the high Arctic tundra and does not breed in the state.
Juveniles show a strongly scaled back from pale feather fringes, which is the classic look for the species in Michigan since almost all of our fall birds are young ones taking an inland route.
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