Calidris alba
Order Charadriiformes
Family Scolopacidae
Subfamily Arenariinae
Adult in spring.— Upper parts grayish-white, each feather spotted with black, and edged with chestnut; rump dark brown; tail grayish-brown; sides of head, throat, neck, breast washed with rusty brown, and spotted with black; rest of under parts white; wings when spread show a line of white.
Adult in late summer and fall.— Upper parts pale gray, the centre of each feather black; under parts pure white.
Immature.— Upper parts gray, spotted with black and white; hind neck dusky white; throat and breast washed with rest of under parts white; wings as in adult.
The Sanderling is a very common migrant along the coast in spring and fall; it winters very sparingly on Cape Cod and on Muskeget Island. It passes north in the latter part of May, and returns from July to the end of October. It is strictly a bird of the outer sandy beaches. A flock of Sanderlings will often form a long line at the edge of the water and follow the receding surf, probing the ground with feverish haste, and all running back at the last moment; one or two are sometimes caught by the wave and forced to fly.
The Sanderling’s note is a sharp chit. The gunners’ name, “Whitey,” well describes the Sanderling, especially in late summer and fall, when no trace of the rusty brown remains. The whitish look about the head and the black bill, the size, larger than the little Semipalmated Sandpiper, so often associated with it, serve to identify it when at rest. When flying, the line of conspicuous white spots in the wing, like the Spotted Sandpiper’s, is an excellent field-mark.
Hoffmann – A Guide to the Birds of New England and Eastern New York (1904)