This is bird note.

Though most birds that enliven beaches in summer have gone south,

tiny sandpipers called sanderlings are easy to find on winter shores.

They're intensely busy birds, persistently following the smallest waves as they lap in and out.

High tide pushes burrowing invertebrates closer to the surface of the sand.

As the waves retreat, the top layer of sand swells loosely.

Sanderlings rush in to probe the sand with their small but tough beaks, then flee as the next wave breaks.

The diversity of Sanderling's diet is impressive.

Various small crustaceans, especially mole crabs, isopods, and amphipods are important elements.

A Sanderlings probing's probing also yields miniature clams and bristly segmented polykeet worms.

In spring on Delaware Bay, horseshoe crab eggs are a vital food.

And a Sanderlings dining options don't end there.

They chase invertebrates through shallow pools. Theinterly's dining options don't end there.

They chase invertebrates through shallow pools and pluck flying insects out of the air.

In a pinch, they can turn to plants, buds, seeds, and algae. But they're best known for that elegant dance

at the edge of the waves.

Watch for them performing along most of the US coast

from city shorelines to Barrier Islands.

For Bird Note, I'm Ariana Remmel.