Sanderling (Calidris alba)

You may hear the “wick-wick” call of the sanderlings as 56,000 of them land in groups called grains after flying the 1,185 miles from Iceland or 1,375 miles from Scandinavia. Welcome the sanderling with the Norwegian phrase “Det er lenge siden sist vi møttes!” (long time no see) in October as they come to feed on worms, crustaceans and molluscs, it gets these by ploughing the sand, by the surf. Or in olde English sand-yrðling, hence the name sanderling. 

The pale plumage makes the avid appear almost white, except for the patches of brown on its shoulders. At only the weight of 38 balloons, and standing at 21cm this appears a timid bird, which it is, at a flight initiation distance of 32 metres you must keep your distance.