Dunlin

My, what long bills you have. Dunlin, Calidris alpina, a species of sandpiper. A winter visitor in our region; these were walking just a few feet away from us on Hummock Pond a week ago. Their breeding plumage, as in so many other birds, is more colorful: rufus backs and black bellies. They breed along the northern edges of North America and Eurasia.

Speaking of Eurasia — well, somebody’s ‘asia anyway — two Northern Lapwings were on the other side of the Pond that day. This is a Eurasian breeder, very rare here, but a few have been spotted along the East Coast post-Sandy, including on Long Island.