Spotted Sandpiper

Paul Demkovich

While we were in the Aspen CO area, I searched every stream I could find for American Dippers. My daughter spotted some, but I never did. On my last day there, a pair of Spotted Sandpipers flew into the area where I was searching for Dippers, and started feeding in the shallow rocky water. One of the birds was a juvenile (spotless) and the other was an adult (spotted). From what I’ve read, the male Spotted Sandpipers raises their chicks. So I believe the pair I saw was an adult male and a juvenile that was not yet fully independent.

This photo is the juvenile.