The Baird Sandpiper in the State of Washington
The Baird Sandpiper in the State of Washington
Until the present fall of 1916, to the best of my knowledge, we have had nothing but “sight records” for this species (Pisobia bairdii) as a visitor to Washington. In my own experience of nineteen years I have never even seen it before. Therefore, it was with the greatest interest that Mr. Stanton Warburton, of Tacoma, and the writer found them in fair numbers on the Tacoma flats during the latter, part of July, August, and early September, 1916. The first was a female, seen and collected on July 26. A male was collected on August 5, another male on the llth, a male on August 29, and the last seen was a male taken on September 5. They never appeared in flocks, usually flying in twos and threes, four being the largest number seen together at any one time. The other small sandpipers did not seem to interest them much, as they were usually found alone or in the company of one or two Semi-palmated Plover (Aegialitis semipalmata); however, the few times that we saw them flying with flocks of other small sandpipers, they separated from the main flock as soon as they stopped to feed.
J. Hooper Bowles
Tacoma, Washington
