WESTS EN SOLITAEY SAXDPIPEE 413 



The Western Solitary Sandpiper, or Solitary Tattler as it is 

 sometimes called, is not as abundant in California as are most of the 

 gregarious species of shore birds nor does it seem to be as numerous 

 here as in some other places in North America. The two subspecies 

 of the Solitary Sandpiper, the Eastern and Western, are extremely 

 similar in appearance, and as a consequence the ranges of the two are 

 not yet clearly defined. Only the Western is supposed to occur west 

 of the longitude of Colorado. 



One marked feature of the occurrence of this species in California 

 is the great number of records from southern California south of the 

 latitude of Tehachapi Pass, there being more than twice as many from 

 that region as from all the rest of the state. The earliest spring 

 record for California is from Santa Cruz Island, ]\Iarch 17 or 18, 

 1886 (Streator, 1888, p. 53). Tlie bulk of the migration occurs dur- 

 ing April, especially in the latter part, and by the third week in May 

 the birds have all pa.ssed north, the latest sjn'ing record being from 

 Los Angeles. :\ray U, 1898 (Willett, 19V2a. p. 38). The southbound 

 migration sets in during late July, as birds were ob.served at Santa 

 Barbara on July 22, 1910 (Bowles and Howell, 1912, p. 9). August 

 seems to mark the height of the fall migration, over half of the records 

 within the state having been made during that month. The species 

 disappears from the state during the latter part of September, the 

 latest record being for Los Angeles, September 22, 1898 (Willett, 

 loc. cit.). Thus it will be seen that the Solitary Sandpiper is in Cali- 

 fornia strictly a through migrant, tarrying but briefly. There are 

 no definite records of its occurrence here during the winter months 

 or during early summer. 



While not strictly solitary, as its name would indicate, this species 

 is never found in large flocks. It usually occurs singly or in pairs, 

 but in the fall after the young are on the wing, as many as half a 

 dozen- may be found together, probably all members of the same 

 family. The species also differs from many of the other shore birds 

 in frequenting inland habitats almost exclusively, rarely if ever being 

 found about salt water. From observation at Santa Barbara, Bowles 

 and Howell (1912, p. 9) concluded that "the Solitary Sandpiper, 

 more than any other shore bird, is inclined to restrict itself to the 

 grassy mud flats and wet meadows"; none were ever seen on the sea- 

 beach or open flats. As reported by other observers, the birds prefer 

 the shores of inland lakes, or sand bars along streams especially where 

 there is good cover in the form of dense brush along the banks. Only 

 when the water about their favorite secluded retreats is low, as dur- 

 ing the late summer and early fall, do they seek more open forage 

 grounds. 



