By EBO 2020 Intern, Will Harrod
Presque Isle State Park is a 3,112-acre Pennsylvania State Park on an arching, sandy peninsula that juts into Lake Erie. The park and its beaches are a popular summertime destination, attracting hundreds of thousands of people to Erie each year and for good reason. However, it’s not just humans who love the sand, water, and waves; Presque Isle’s beaches are one of the best nesting sites for Spotted Sandpipers in the entire state of Pennsylvania. The sandy dunes that look down on the Isle’s most visited beaches provide the perfect habitat for these charismatic birds. With small, grassy hillocks where they can easily hide their nests and plenty of constantly churning sand for them to find food, it’s easy to see why they choose to nest here. Their spotted chests, constant tail wagging that is reminiscent of dancing, and distinctive fluttery flight, make these Robin-sized shorebirds easily recognizable at a distance. And the male spotted Sandpiper is one of the best fathers in the avian world.
Spotted Sandpipers are fascinating birds. Like many other shorebirds, they travel from their warm wintering grounds in South and Central America to the more temperate climate and reduced competition of the northern hemisphere to breed each spring. However, their breeding behavior is quite unlike that of most other birds. Spotted Sandpipers have reversed some of the roles that each sex occupies during the breeding season. When they arrive on Presque Isle in early May, it is the females who establish a territory, defend it from rival females, and work to attract a male to that territory. On top of this, female Spotted Sandpipers practice Polyandry, where one female will mate with several males in an area and then let each one care for their own clutch. The males, on the other hand, arrive several days later and are courted by the females before eggs are laid. These amazing fathers then sit on their eggs night and day for most of their 19-22 day incubation period. When the chicks hatch, it is the males who do most of the protecting them from predators and watching over them as they feed.
This Father’s Day, let’s take a moment to think about this fun little shorebird that is one of the most devoted fathers out there. At the same time, there are several things that we can do to help out our local Spotted Sandpiper population. Keep dogs on-leash since they are known to eat shorebird eggs. Make sure to not approach them too closely as you run the risk of stepping on their well concealed nests. We can all do our part to keep these incredible birds on Presque Isle for the future.