Shorebirds are always tough for me to identify—so many of them are similar in appearance. When I spotted this little bird on Monday at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, I noticed that it was all alone. Half-jokingly, I thought to myself that maybe it is a Solitary Sandpiper (Tringa solitaria).
When I later checked my bird identification guide I was shocked to discover that it probably is a Solitary Sandpiper. As its name suggests, this bird was by itself, foraging for food in the shallow water at the edge of a pond. I watched it for a while, but when I moved closer to get a better shot, the bird flew away to a spot across the small pond.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Mike Powell 
I had no idea there was such a thing as a solitary sandpiper. At the Jersey Shore (where I was yesterday) they are always in small groups. 🙂
Wow! I don’t know if the sandpipers you see are a different species, but the ones that I see are usually by themselves.
Apparently most sandpipers will flock or nest in groups except for the Solitary Sandpiper. I don’t have any good photos of groups of birds but this week I did see either Least Sandpiper or Semipalmated Sandpiper while at the beach with my wife on Wednesday.
https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Semipalmated_Sandpiper/photo-gallery/301537841
Thanks for the info about sandpipers.
[…] as I later confirmed through iNaturalist back at home. That’s when I remembered Mike Powell’s post about the Solitary Sandpiper he found at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge. I’d read Mike's […]