By Sally Siko
Walking up the beach during my recent birding trip to the Huntington Beach State Park in Murrells Inlet SC, I spotted a Sanderling messing around with a jellyfish which had washed up on the shore.
It appeared that the bird was eating the gelatinous blob or at least giving it a taste. Whatever the case, the Sanderling was quite protective of his find and would chase off any other birds that approached his meal.
I’ve never seen a Sanderling snacking on a jellyfish before and I wondered if the bird was enjoying the meal or just super hungry and willing to suck it up because other options were limited lol!
A familiar shorebird to many here in Carolinas, Sanderlings are usually seen scurrying after waves as they roll back out to sea always in the hunt for tiny crustaceans and mollusks exposed by the retreating water.These tiny birds are quite entertaining to watch! With legs that seem to move a ‘mile a minute, these pint sized dynamos make quick work in their efforts to find a meal on the beach.
Sanderlings are one of the most common species of Sandpiper in the world. Indeed, during the wintertime they may be found along every coastline in the United States including Alaska and Hawaii too.Here in South Carolina they are a year round resident but during the summer, they are slightly less common because the ones who spend the warmer months here on our beaches are non breeding birds.Whatever the season, it’s always nice to see one
Photos & video by @sally_siko of @bestlife_birding on my mighty mirrorless monster, the @canonusa #R5