Study Species

• A small shorebird that lives most of the year primarily on mudflats on the edges of the ocean

• Breeds on tundra in Alaska

• Spends non-breeding season on mudflats that range from California to South Carolina to Peru

• Southward migration starts with a long over-ocean flight from Southern Alaska to the Salish Sea

• On average female adults leave first, then their male counterparts

• Juveniles migrate a month later, once they have grown to full size

• Western Sandpipers are abundant and easy to identify, making them a good species to survey

• Previous research on their behaviour, physiology and ecology will allow us to make specific predictions of their behaviour under various conditions.