Sanderling from Peru sighted again on Sanibel
This summer, the Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation shorebird team re-sighted a sanderling, known as 4MC, that was originally banded in Ica, Peru, in 2018. It was the second time that the SCCF observed the bird on Sanibel, the first being in 2022.
The SCCF reported that 4MC was likely stopping by on the way to its wintering grounds in Peru, refueling during its long migration from arctic Canada. Sanderlings’ migrations can be anywhere from 1,800 to over 6,000 miles, making stopover sites like Sanibel crucially important habitats.
“Just like humans on a long road trip, migratory shorebirds need to stop once in a while to refuel their energy reserves,” SCCF shorebird biologist Audrey Albrecht said. “We also have resident wintering sanderlings on Sanibel that stop their migration route once reaching our shores.”
It was banded by researchers at the Paracas Shorebird Project, which has been banding shorebirds at the Paracas National Reserve in Peru for eight years. The project has banded thousands of shorebirds, including sanderlings, semipalmated sandpipers and semipalmated plovers, which can all be found in Southwest Florida.
The SCCF reported that sharing its re-sightings helps give the project insight into the migration patterns of individual banded birds.
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