This is bird note.

What are these strange clicking sounds?

Is this a secret message in Morse code?

They're the calls of a male buff-breasted sandpiper courting a female on their breeding grounds far north of the Arctic Circle.

He raises his wings flashing their silvery white undersides as he sings his clicking

serenade.

A bit smaller than a robin, the buff-breasted sandpiper is strikingly handsome, rich tawny brown overall, with dark

markings on the back and the light-colored breast for which it's named.

And it's a shapely bird. Fine. Delicate almost. It'll spend much of the year on

grasslands in Argentina, migrating to the Arctic in late spring for breeding.

Then heading south again in late summer or early fall.

In the lower 48, September is a good time to look for this long distance traveler.

During migration, they show a distinct preference for grassy

expanses such as pastures and rice fields. Both breasted sandpipers are one of

our scariest shorebirds and they face threats from pesticides and the loss of habitat.

Joint conservation among the US, Canada, and Argentina under the Migratory Species Convention could greatly benefit this bird. But even small

actions like supporting growers of organic rice can help secure the future of a

threatened species like the buff-breasted sandpiper. For Bird Note, I'm Mary McCann.