Surprise, surprise!

I was surprised today to see dunlins on the tide line on the beach.  These two small sized waders don’t return to our shores from their Nordic/Scandinavian breeding grounds until July/August.

The picture shows one of the dunlins digging for crustaceans.  They are similar in size and shape to the sanderlings but dunlins have slightly longer beaks and a dark patch on their underbellies which it has during the breeding season.