Banded Sanderling at Inch Marlow

On April 15^th I saw my first banded bird for 2019.  It was a Sanderling (Calidris alba)tagged LLT. This was one of over 100 individual shorebirds loafing on the rocky part of the beach at Inch Marlow, Christ Church.  I reported this sighting to the website banded.org and was able to see this bird’s resighting history.  It was first captured and tagged on May 5^th, 2017 on Villas Beach and was last reported on, before now, on the May 19^th at Reeds Beach of that same year.  Both of these locations are along the shores of Delaware Bay, an important refueling point for migrating shorebirds. (See here)

In a couple of days, these birds will join thousands of other shorebirds along the shores of Delaware Bay before heading to breeding ground in the Arctic.  This sighting provides evidence, even if just anecdotal, of the part this island and many other Caribbean islands play in the survival and success of these birds during migration.  It is interesting to note that these shorebirds along with a few other species,  were attracted to the beach by the banquet of invertebrates cause by the Sargassum Seaweed on the beach.  In an age of dwindling feeding areas along the flyways of the Americas, could Sargassum Seaweed littered beaches be the saviour of these seriously threatened birds?  

I will be on the lookout for LLT to see how long it stays before migrating.

Resighting History of Sanderling LLT courtesy bandedbirds.org

Captures:
5/14/2017 - Villas Beach, New Jersey, United States
Resightings:
5/16/2017 - Villas - Miami Beach, New Jersey, United States
5/19/2017 - Reeds Beach - south, New Jersey, United States
4/15/2019 – Inch Marlow, Christ Church, Barbados