SPOTTED SANDPIPER. Actitis macularia (Linnaeus)

Field characters.—A 'wader' between Robin and Junco in size; of slender build, with long legs, slender neck, and short tail. Upper surface olive brown; under surface, in summer adults, white with numerous rounded black spots; wing crossed by a narrow white band, readily seen in flight; outer tail feathers barred with brown and white. Course of flight usually semicircular, the bird skimming low over the water. When on ground bobs hinder parts of body down and up every second or two. Voice: A clear whistle-like weet or weeter, uttered three or more times in quick succession.

Occurrence.—Summer visitant, irrespective of altitude, along sandy or pebbly shores of lakes and smooth-flowing streams; seen often along Merced River up as far as Yosemite Valley; also on Tuolumne River below Lagrange, on Tuolumne Meadows, and on shores of Mono Lake.

Most of our stream-side birds seem inclined to seclude themselves in the thick deciduous growths which line the water courses; but the Spotted Sandpiper, gleaning its food at the water's edge, lives almost entirely in the open. Along the river in Yosemite Valley, wherever the banks are gently sloping and sandy or pebbly, and on the broad reaches of the Tuolumne as it winds through the lower part of the Tuolumne Meadows, this bird may be seen or heard almost any hour of the day during the summer time. Excepting for the Killdeer, this sandpiper is the only representative of the large and far-ranging group of shore birds to be found regularly in the Yosemite section.

Along the Tuolumne River below Lagrange, in early May, 1919, two or more Spotted Sandpipers were in evidence all through the day and until dusk of evening. At one sandy place at the river's edge the tracks of the birds were to be seen after each fall of the river. At this time the birds were trilling often. Weet-weet-weet-weeter-weet was one call heard. On May 18, 1919, a bird flushed from the river margin near Camp Curry, in Yosemite Valley, gave a loud peet'-peet'-peet' and a few moments later a fainter, much more musical weeter, weeter, weeter, weeter.

On the morning of June 2, 1915, in Yosemite Valley, when the Merced River was swollen bank high by the melting snows of the higher mountains, three Spotted Sandpipers were seen foraging on a high beach near Stoneman Bridge. They moved about in the shallow water at the edge of the river or on the gravel, never farther than a foot or two from the water, walking rapidly for a few steps, and then stopping abruptly to procure some morsel of food sighted among the stones. While a bird was thus occupied, the hinder portion of its body was continually bobbed down and up at regular intervals of a second or two, and while it was walking the head underwent a rapid fore-and-aft movement in unison with the tread of the feet.

Two of the birds seemed by their actions to be males. It was just at the beginning of the mating season at this altitude, and considerable rivalry evidently existed between them. In one tilt, after much manoeuvering, one of these birds drove the other away. Meanwhile the third bird, presumably a female, unconcernedly went on feeding in the vicinity. After routing his rival the successful suitor approached the female and strutted about her, holding his body in a peculiarly erect posture, and partially spreading his wings and tail. The object of his attentions held shyly aloof, with the feathers of her body closely appressed, giving her a smart, trim appearance. She gave no indication that his presence or actions were noticed, except that now and then the barred outer feathers of her tail were slightly spread apart.

In Yosemite Valley, on June 23, 1920, a nest was found on a sand bar 200 yards below Stoneman Bridge. When the site was selected it was on a small island, but the recession of the water had later established connection with the shore. One of the birds was sitting on the nest, and every now and then it called in melodious voice and was answered by the mate 50 yards or so up-stream. The four eggs were later seen to be resting in a rather deep grass-lined depression in the sand and partly shaded by leafy weed stems.

On July 14, 1915, a brood of downy young was discovered on Tuolumne Meadows, and on July 29 of the same year another was observed at Lake Tenaya. One of the three youngsters comprising the latter family was held captive for a few minutes for close observation. When this youngster was first taken the female parent became greatly excited and ventured within 10 feet of the observer, but later she became more wary. The captive's first reaction was to squat, immobile; after some moments it made strenuous efforts to escape. The other two young birds ran about excitedly, through the sparse grass, and attempted to follow their parent as the latter flew in circles near by among the lodgepole pines. Even at this early stage in their existence the bobbing movement of the hinder parts of the body, which is so characteristic a feature of the adults, was well developed. At longer intervals the whole head and foreparts were bobbed abruptly upward.

When flushed from a river shore where they have been running about, foraging, the adult birds usually fly in a semicircular course out over the water to the place to which they are retreating; sometimes they swing in over the land, even if their destination is to be some other point along the same stream. It is when so flushed that the clear whistled call is most frequently uttered, although it is also given occasionally when a pair is running about on the sand.

In 1920 this species was seen daily in Yosemite Valley until September 16 but not thereafter (C. W. Michael, MS).