Chapter C: A. Bobbins (1919) in a study of a colony of piping plovers breeding (2)

As I approached this strip, seemingly from nowhere there
appeared a female plover, calling plaintively. Now I knew
that the season of nesting had begun. She was soon joined
by a male and another female that chorused with her their
wishes for my departure. How she coaxed me to follow her!
This I did for a time, trailing behind as she struggled
along on one leg, the other crumpled under her. Tediously
she kept ahead, calling--sobbing, I should have said--one
of the most pathetic yet beautiful notes I have heard.
Surely if ever there was a picture of parental distress
it was she. Finally, as though exhausted, she sank to the
sand and lay on her side gasping. The other two flew back
and forth overhead, whistling plaintively, but she heeded
them not, nor my approach, and lay there panting. I was
sure now that she was tired by her exertion and hurried to
catch her, only to learn that she was “playing possum.”
She allowed me to almost touch her, and fluttered off
again. Evidently she was not satisfied that her nest was
safe and she tried new tactics this time. With seemingly
broken wings that trailed as though helpless at her sides,
she started down the beach and once more I followed after,
but this time increased my speed. As I had about caught up
with her she gave a joyous whistle, sprang into the air,
and those wounded wings carried her like a bullet around a
point of wooded land and out of sight. She had accomplished
her purpose, as I had hopelessly lost the place from which
she started. Search as I might, and did, I could not find
it.

_Plumages._--The upper parts of the downy young Wilson plover are of about the same color pattern as the egg to make it equally invisible on the sand. The crown, back, rump, wings, and thighs are “cream buff,” mottled with black; the forehead, sides of the head, and under parts are white; there is a broad white collar around the neck, and the outer joint of the wing is white.

The juvenal plumage, in what specimens I have seen, July 20 to 27, is much like that of the adult female in winter, but the colors are duller and the breast band is incomplete or only suggested. Perhaps earlier in the season these birds might have shown buffy edgings which had since worn away. Probably a postjuvenal molt takes place, but I have not been able to trace it. In the first winter plumage the sexes are alike; but at the first prenuptial molt, in February and March, the male assumes, partially at least, the black markings on the head and breast. At the next complete molt, the first postnuptial, the adult winter plumage is acquired.

Adults have an incomplete prenuptial molt, from January to March, involving the body plumage, and a complete postnuptial molt, from July to October. The sexes are quite unlike in nuptial plumage, the black markings on the head and breast of the male being replaced by “wood brown” in the female. In winter they are much alike, but I believe that in fully adult males there is always more or less black in the breast band.

_Food._--Audubon (1840) says of these birds:

They feed fully as much by night as by day, and the large
eyes of this, as of other species of the genus, seem to
fit them for nocturnal searchings. Their food consists
principally of small marine insects, minute shellfish, and
sand worms, with which they mix particles of sand.

The stomachs of five birds taken on the coast of Alabama by Arthur H. Howell (1924) contained “crabs and shrimps, with a few mollusks and flies.” One taken in Porto Rico by Stuart T. Danforth (1926) contained Dytiscid larvae and adults.

_Behavior._--Audubon (1840) describes the behavior of this plover very well, as follows:

The flight of this species, is rapid, elegant, and
protracted. While traveling from one sand beach or island
to another, they fly low over the land or water, emitting
a fine, clear, soft note. Now and then, when after the
breeding season they form into flocks of 20 or 30, they
perform various evolutions in the air, cutting backward
and forward, as if inspecting the spot on which they wish
to alight, and then suddenly descend, sometimes on the
sea beach and sometimes on the more elevated sands at a
little distance from it. They do not run so nimbly as the
piping plovers nor are they nearly so shy. I have in fact
frequently walked up so as to be within 10 yards or so of
them. They seldom mix with other species, and they show a
decided preference to solitary uninhabited spots.

_Voice._--My field notes, written over 20 years ago, refer to Wilson plover flying about their breeding grounds, whistling their musical call notes, somewhat suggestive of the notes of the piping plover, but not so loud nor so rich in tone. Francis M. Weston writes to me that “the note of anxiety, when on the ground, is a sharp _wheet_, beween a chirp and a whistle. On the wing, it gives a low _tut-tut_, somewhat like the alarm note of the wood thrush, but pitched lower and never of more than two syllables.” C. J. Pennock says, in his notes, that when they have eggs or young “they fly about close overhead, or run along the sand, calling _queet, queet, quit it, quit it_, in a high-pitched tone, frequently three or four birds joining in the vocal protest.” John T. Nichols says in his notes: “The commonest note of this species on the ground and on the wing is a ternlike _quip_, sometimes double _qui-pip_. Less frequently, on the ground, it has a surprisingly human whistled _whip_.”

_Field marks._--The best field character of the Wilson plover is the long, heavy, wholly black bill, which is very conspicuous in all plumages; it is relatively larger and more prominent than that of the black-bellied plover. The Wilson is decidedly larger than the semipalmated or the piping plover; it is slightly lighter in color than the former and much darker than the latter. I have noticed that in flight it appears quite dark colored above, with no conspicuous white except in the lateral tail feathers.

_Winter._--We recorded this species as a winter resident on the west coast of Florida as far north as Tampa Bay, but it was rare in midwinter and did not become common until March. It frequented the sand bars and sandy islands on the Gulf shore, together with other small plovers and sandpipers. It was much tamer than any of the other shore birds and less active; it was the only one of the whole tribe that could be openly approached on the unprotected beaches. It was usually seen singly, apart from the others, and never in flocks.

DISTRIBUTION

_Range._--Southern United States, the West Indies, Central and South America.

_Breeding range._--The Wilson plover breeds north to probably Lower California (La Paz); Texas (Brownsville, Corpus Christi, probably Rockport, probably Matagorda Island, Houston, and Galveston); Louisiana (probably Cameron Parish and the Breton Island Reservation); Mississippi (Dog Key); probably Alabama (Bayou Labatre and Dauphin Island); western Florida (Milton and probably James Island); and formerly New Jersey (Beach Haven). East to formerly New Jersey (Beach Haven, probably Great Egg Harbor, and Cape May); Virginia (Cobb Island and Cape Charles); North Carolina (Pea Island, Beaufort, and Cape Fear); South Carolina (Bulls Bay, Sullivan Island, and Frogmore); Georgia (Tybee Island, Ossabaw Island, and Blackbeard Island); the east coast of Florida (Fernandina, Amelia Island, Matanzas Inlet, Mosquito Inlet, and Coronado Beach); the Bahama Islands (New Providence, Rum Cay, and Inagua Island); and probably Porto Rico. South to probably Porto Rico; probably Jamaica (Great Salt Pond and Port Henderson); probably Cuba (Trinidad); and British Honduras (Grassy Cay). West to British Honduras (Grassy Cay); Gulf of California; and probably Lower California (La Paz).

The status of the species in the southern part of its summer range has not yet been definitely settled, and some alleged races have been described, whose breeding ranges are undoubtedly included in the summary given above.

_Winter range._--The species has been detected in winter north to Lower California (San Jose Island); Sonora (Guaymas); Texas (probably rarely Brownsville and Matagorda County); probably Louisiana (Vermilion Bay); Mississippi (Hancock County); and Florida (mouth of the St. Johns River). East to Florida (mouth of the St. Johns River, St. Augustine, New Smyrna, and Key West); the Bahama Islands (Andros Islands and Watling Island); probably Santo Domingo (Samana); probably Porto Rico (Culebra Island and Vieques Island); the Lesser Antilles (Anegada); French Guiana (Cayenne and Rio Oyapok); and Brazil (Cajetuba, Bahia, and Camamu). South to Brazil (Camamu); and Peru (Tumbez). West to Peru (Tumbez); Ecuador (Puna Island); Colombia (Cartagena and Sabanilla); Honduras (Swan Islands); Guatemala (Chiapam); and Lower California (La Paz and San Jose Island).

_Spring migration._--Early dates of spring arrival are Georgia, Cumberland, March 18, and Darien, March 19; South Carolina, Bulls Point, March 10, Frogmore, March 20, and Mount Pleasant, March 26; North Carolina, Fort Macon, April 15, and Pea and Bodie Islands, April 24; and Virginia, Toms Brook, April 8.

_Fall migration._--Almost nothing is known about the fall migration of this plover but Wayne (1910) says that it remains on the beaches of South Carolina “until September 22, or perhaps until October.”

_Casual records._--Wilson plovers have been noted or collected on several occasions outside of their normal range. Most of these have naturally been in New York and on the coast of New England. Among them are: New York, three at Far Rockaway, May 17, 1879, one at Shinnecock Bay, May 16, 1884, one at Good Ground, May 28, 1879, Orient, July 3, 1915, and Long Beach, July 1, 1872; Connecticut, taken once at Stratford, and seen at Bridgeport on July 28, 1888; Massachusetts, Gurnet Point, August 22, 1877, one at Ipswich, May 8, 1904, and about 25 reported as seen at Dennis, September 4, 1920; Nova Scotia, one at Brier Island, April 28, 1880; and one from Halifax that is preserved in the British Museum; and California, one taken at Pacific Beach, June 27, 1894, and another seen at Imperial Beach, May 11, 1918.

_Egg dates._--Virginia: 22 records, May 4 to June 20; 11 records, May 27 to June 6. South Carolina and Georgia: 50 records, April 14 to June 21; 25 records, May 17 to June 10. Florida: 26 records, April 2 to July 10; 13 records, May 12 to June 11. Texas: 11 records, April 7 to June 18; 6 records, April 20 to May 19.

PODASOCYS MONTANUS (J. K. Townsend)

MOUNTAIN PLOVER

HABITS

The above name is not especially appropriate for this species. The name, Rocky Mountain plover, would have been better, for its breeding range is mainly in the Rocky Mountain plateau. It frequents elevated ground but it is not a bird of the mountains but of the dry plains. Coues (1874) says:

While most other plovers haunt the vicinity of water,
to which some are almost confined, the present species
is not in the least degree of aquatic habits, but, on
the contrary, resorts to plains as dry and sterile as
any of our country--sometimes the grassy prairies, with
shore larks and titlarks, various ground sparrows, and
the burrowing owl; sometimes sandy deserts, where the
sage brush and the “chamizo,” the prickly pear and the
Spanish bayonet, grow in full luxuriance. It approaches
the Pacific, but will never be found on the beach itself,
with maritime birds, nor even on the adjoining mud-flats or
marshes, preferring the firm, grassy fields further back
from the water.

_Nesting._--W. C. Bradbury (1918) has given us a very good account of the nesting habits of the mountain plover in Colorado. Of the nesting site and nest he says:

The ground is an open, rolling prairie, above the line of
irrigation, and is devoted to cattle range. It is several
miles from natural surface water and streams, and is
covered with short-cropped buffalo or gramma grass, 2 or 3
inches high, with frequent bunches of dwarfed prickly pear,
and an occasional cluster of stunted shrub or weed, rarely
more than a foot in height. With the six sets secured, in
no instance had the parent bird taken advantage of the
slight protection offered from sight or the elements by the
nearby cactus, shrubs or uneven spots of ground. In each
case, she had avoided such shelter, locating in the open,
generally between the small grass hummocks and not on or
in them; there was no evidence of the parent birds having
given more thought to nest preparation or concealment, than
does any other plover. In two of the sets the eggs were
all individually embedded in the baked earth to a depth
of one-eighth to one-fourth of an inch, evidently having
settled when the surface of the ground was reduced to soft
mud by rain-water collecting in the slight depressions. As
the ground dried up the eggs were fixed in a perfect mould
or matrix, from which they could not roll. In fact they
could hardly be disturbed at all by the sitting birds. The
only nesting material was a small quantity of fine, dry
rootlets and “crowns” of gramma grass, the eggs in some
instances being slightly embedded in this lining. As it is
also present in all other depressions on the prairie it is
highly probable that here as elsewhere it was deposited
about the eggs by the wind and not through the agency of
the birds themselves. The protective coloration of the
nest and eggs, as well as of the rear view of the birds
themselves, even when in motion, is unsurpassed. In no
instance, except one hereinafter noted, was the bird seen
to leave the nest, nor was any nest found except in the
immediate vicinity of moving birds.

H. G. Hoskin (1893) writes:

The mountain plover builds its nest on open prairie.
The first egg is laid on bare ground, and as the set is
finished and incubation advances the bird gradually makes
a nest of dirt, pieces of hard grass, roots, etc. It takes
five or six days to complete set of three eggs. I have
never found more nor less than three eggs in a nest that I
thought complete. Old birds will fly off the nest while a
person on foot is 80 rods away, but will sit closely for
man on horseback or in a buggy.

William G. Smith (1888) found three nests while traveling by wagon across the Laramie Plains in Wyoming. “They were all placed within 50 yards of the much-frequented roadway, and each time I saw the female sitting on the eggs. The old birds are very white which contrasts with the dark ground and causes them to be easily seen.” The art of feigning lameness or injury, to entice the intruder away from eggs or young, seems to be very highly developed in this species. Mr. Smith speaks of one that seemed to be in a fit, as it lay on its side, within 6 feet of him, “apparently in strong convulsions.” Mr. Bradbury (1918) tells of one that, “spreading her wings horizontally to their extreme width while standing, then falling flat with her neck and wings extended their full length on the ground, at times with beak open, she retreated as he approached, or followed closely as he returned toward the nest.”

_Eggs._--The mountain plover lays almost invariably three eggs, occasionally only two, and four eggs have been recorded. They are ovate to short ovate in shape, with no gloss. The prevailing ground colors are “deep olive buff” or “dark olive buff”; some few are “chamois” and one pink set has a “light pinkish cinnamon” ground color. They are irregularly marked, but chiefly near the larger end, with small spots and scrawls of black, which sometimes form a ring near the larger end. The measurments of 58 eggs average 37.3 by 28.3 millimeters; the eggs showing the four extremes measure =40= by 28.5, 37.5 by =29.2=, =34.3= by 28.4, and 38.5 by =27= millimeters.

_Young._--Apparently both sexes incubate; an incubating male has been taken. William G. Smith says in his notes:

The young are very nimble when only a few days old, and
it is quite a task to catch them. They do not attempt to
hide. A peculiarity of these birds is, though three eggs
are generally laid, I never saw but two young with the old
birds. I lived on the prairies for six years, a mile from
any other habitation; I had every opportunity to observe
the traits of these birds. When they are well able to run
each of the old birds takes one to raise, and that method
seems the rule.

Edward R. Warren’s (1912) observations do not agree with the above, for he has seen a parent with three young and has seen the young attempt to hide; but he says “it was easily seen when once found, for its colors did not blend particularly well with the ground it was on.”

_Plumages._--In the downy young mountain plover the upper parts are “cream buff,” tinged with “chamois” on the crown, wings, and rump, shading off to buffy white on the throat and under parts; the crown, sides of the neck, occiput, back, wings, rump, and thighs are conspicuously spotted with black; the forehead is unmarked. Young birds, about half grown, show the juvenal plumage coming in on the back, scapulars, crown, and sides of the breast, with the wing quills bursting their sheaths.

In full juvenal plumage, in September, the crown, back, scapulars, and wing coverts are “buffy brown,” with “cinnamon-buff” edges, broadest on the wing coverts; the sides of the head are “pinkish buff” and the breast and flanks are suffused with the same color; the throat and belly are white. This plumage seems to be worn without much change, except by wear and fading, all through the first fall and winter. The upper parts are still mainly “buffy brown,” but with only the faintest trace of the edgings. The spring molt apparently does not involve the wing coverts and very few scapulars, so that young birds can be recognized by these retained feathers.

Adults have a partial prenuptial molt in March and April, involving the body plumage but not the wings and tail and not all the scapulars and wing coverts. The black markings on the head are acquired and the new feathers of the mantle are broadly tipped with “pinkish buff.” The complete postnuptial molt is accomplished in July and August. The winter plumage is similar to the nuptial, except that the black loral patch is lacking and the black crown patch is replaced by dull brown.

_Food._--Feeding on the dry upland plains and prairies, the mountain plover’s food consists almost wholly, if not entirely, of insects. Grasshoppers seem to be its principal food, but many crickets, beetles, and flies are eaten. It seems to be a wholly beneficial species. Grinnell, Bryant, and Storer (1918) quote Belding as saying “that he often found this plover in recently sown grain fields, but was never able to discover a single kernel of wheat in the stomachs of those he shot.”

_Behavior._--Coues (1874) writes:

They were not difficult of approach, and I had no
difficulty in securing as many as I desired. On being
disturbed by too near approach, they lower the head, run
rapidly a few steps in a light, easy way, and then stop
abruptly, drawing themselves up to their full height and
looking around with timid yet unsuspicious glances. When
forced to fly by persistent annoyance, they rise rapidly
with quick wing beats and then proceed with alternate
sailing and flapping, during the former action holding the
wings decurved. They generally fly low over the ground and
soon realight, taking a few mincing steps as they touch the
ground; they then either squat low, in hopes of hiding, or
stand on tip-toe, as it were, for a better view of what
alarmed them.

Grinnell, Bryant, and Storer (1918) say:

This plover is a flocking species found in bands of
from fifteen to several hundred individuals. Often upon
alighting after they have been in flight, the birds will
immediately run to some distance, so that it is not always
possible to follow them up easily as with other shore
birds. The flocks fly low over the ground and are difficult
to see, except when they wheel. As they do this the under
surfaces of their wings show momentarily as silvery white
flashes.

Aiken and Warren (1914) say:

The mountain plover differs greatly in habits and
characteristics from its near relative the killdeer. It
shows no preference for wet ground but on the contrary
frequents mesas or high rolling prairie land, often remote
from water. Their manner is quiet; they have no wailing
cry; they run rapidly a short distance and stand silent and
motionless with the head sunk low on the shoulders. Their
unspotted plumage blends with the color of the dry grass
and parched ground and makes them difficult to discover.
But in August, when the young birds shift for themselves,
they gather in flocks and repair to the vicinity of water
holes and flooded fields.

William G. Smith says in his notes:

We have often foretold a hailstorm, which are very
prevalent here in summer, by these birds coming near the
house for protection; at these times they seem bewildered,
and nothing will drive them away.

_Voice._--Coues (1874) says on this subject:

Their notes are rather peculiar, as compared with those
of our other plovers, and vary a good deal, according to
circumstances. When the birds are feeding at their leisure,
and in no way apprehensive of danger, they utter a low and
rather pleasing whistle, though in a somewhat drawling or
rather lisping tone; but the note changes to a louder and
higher one, sometimes sounding harshly.

_Field marks._--The mountain plover may be recognized as a medium sized plover, dressed in plain colors. In the spring the black markings on the head are visible at short range, but otherwise it is dull, sandy brown above and white below, without the conspicuous markings of the killdeer. In flight its axillars and the under sides of its wings are conspicuously white.

_Game._--This species once figured as a game bird and many were shot and sold as game in the California markets. It was a fair-sized bird of some food value, but it was not so highly prized, as a table bird, when compared with some others. John G. Tyler (1916) writes:

Had not the Federal law intervened these birds would soon
have disappeared forever, as their habits made them a very
easy victim for hunters. The birds feed in loose scattered
flocks, ranging over much ground, but when sufficiently
disturbed all the members of a company take wing and form
into a dense flock which, after beating rapidly back and
forth for a few moments, usually settles again within a
few yards of the intruder, a full hundred birds often
occupying a space no larger than 20 feet in diameter. As
they alight each bird flattens itself upon the ground where
its protective coloration renders it all but invisible save
for the winking of its very large eyes.

As one old resident stated, a favorite method of hunting
was to drive with a horse and buggy among the scattered
birds and cause them to take wing, whereupon the horse was
brought to a standstill until the birds had again settled
on the ground, and in nearly every case this was within
easy gun range. The hunter immediately “ground sluiced”
them with one barrel just as they “squatted” and fired
again as the survivors took wing. My informant stated that
he once killed 65 birds with two shots, and this method
very rarely netted less than 30. I was informed that this
plover was rated as the best table bird in this part of the
State and that parties sometimes came from points as far
away as San Francisco to hunt them. Verily, as my friend
remarked, “they don’t seem to be as plentiful as they were
25 years ago.”

DISTRIBUTION

_Range._--Western United States and Mexico; accidental in Florida and Massachusetts.

_Breeding range._--The mountain plover breeds north to Montana (Great Falls, Fort Benton, Big Sandy, and the mouth of Milk River); and North Dakota (Stump Lake). East to North Dakota (Stump Lake and probably Hankison); western South Dakota (Edgemont); Nebraska (probably Harrison, probably Marsland, North Platte, and Kearney); Kansas (Colby, Oakley, probably Hays, Garden City, and probably Fort Dodge); and Oklahoma (probably Camp Supply and Fort Cobb). South to Oklahoma (Fort Cobb); Texas (Washburn, Hereford, and probably Fort Davis); New Mexico (Otero County and Socorro County); and probably Arizona (Fort Whipple). West to probably Arizona (Fort Whipple); Colorado (probably Del Norte, Denver, Barr, and Loveland); Wyoming (Cheyenne, Laramie, probably Fort Bridger, and probably Dubois); Idaho (Pahsimeroi Valley); and Montana (Three Forks and Great Falls).

_Winter range._--The mountain plover has the curious habit of occupying a winter range that is farther west than its summer home. North to California (probably rarely Marysville); Arizona (Santa Rosa, Buenos Ayres, and Allaires Ranch); and Texas (San Antonio). East to Texas (San Antonio, Eagle Pass, Aransas River, and Brownsville); Tamaulipas (Matamoros); and Zacatecas (Zacatecas). South to Zacatecas (Zacatecas); and Lower California (La Paz). West to Lower California (La Paz); Sonora (Santa Rosa and Hermosillo); and California (San Diego, Santa Ana, Los Angeles, Fort Tejon, Alila, Paicines, probably Stockton, and probably rarely Marysville).

_Spring migration._--Sufficient data are not available to clearly define the migratory flights of the mountain plover but among early dates of spring arrival are: Oklahoma, Norman, March 15; Colorado, Loveland, March 18, Burlington, March 22, Barr, March 23, Springfield, March 29, Denver, April 6, and Colorado Springs, April 19; Wyoming, Cheyenne, April 5, Big Piney, April 12, and Fort Sanders, April 21; South Dakota, Huron, April 16; and Montana, Big Sandy, May 4, and Fort Custer, May 12.

A late date of spring departure from California is Santa Ysabel, April 3.

_Fall migration._--Early dates of fall arrival in California are: Firebaugh, September 11, and Montebello, September 15.

Late dates of fall departure are Montana, Sun River, September 4, Camp Thorne, on the Yellowstone, September 13, and Big Sandy, September 18; South Dakota, Forestburg, September 20; Nebraska, Monroe Canyon, September 27; Wyoming, Efell, September 4, and Sweetwater, September 13; Colorado, Barr, October 12, and Beloit, October 15; and New Mexico, Santa Rosa, September 27, and Stinking Spring Lake, October 1.

_Casual records._--The mountain plover has been detected outside of its normal range on but few occasions, three of which, curiously enough, were in Florida. A flock of six was noted on December 1, 1870, at Key West, and one specimen obtained (Maynard); R. W. Williams records several at St. James Island between July 20 and August 1, 1901; and on December 17, 1927, R. J. Longstreet secured a specimen at Daytona Beach. The only other record is one for Massachusetts, an immature male, taken at North Beach, near Chatham, on October 28, 1916, and preserved in the collections of the Boston Society of Natural History (Brooks).

The species is unknown from Canada. During the international boundary survey, Doctor Coues found mountain plover on Frenchman Creek and obtained a specimen that is now in the British Museum. This is reported as being labeled “forty-ninth parallel,” but the point of collection was probably well within the present State of Montana.

_Egg dates._--Colorado and Kansas: 74 records, April 30 to June 16; 37 records, May 14 to 26. Montana and Wyoming: 4 records, May 22 to July 9.

Family APHRIZIDAE. Surf birds and Turnstones

APHRIZA VIRGATA (Gmelin)

SURF BIRD

HABITS

From its summer home in the mountains of central Alaska the surf bird migrates down the Pacific coasts of North and South America as far as the Straits of Magellan. Twice each year some individuals make this long journey, while others are scattered along the coasts from southern Alaska southward. Consequently it may be found, chiefly on migrations but occasionally at other seasons, by those who seek it on the outlying rocky ledges, reefs, and promontories all along the Pacific coast. As its name implies, it is a bird of the surf line, associated in its rocky habitat with turnstones and wandering tattlers, unmindful of the flying spray. It well deserves its generic name, which is taken from two Greek words, _aphros_, meaning sea foam, and _zao_, I live.

_Spring._--The spring migration is directly north along the coasts of both continents. It is difficult to trace the dates, as the winter range is so extensive. The latest recorded date for the Straits of Magellan is March 3; and the earliest date of arrival at the Kobuk River, Alaska, is May 29. The main flight along the California coast seems to come in March. Dr. Joseph Grinnell (1909) reports a flight at Admiralty Island, Alaska, on May 12, “a flock estimated to contain 300 waders, fully two-thirds of which were of this species.” Harry S. Swarth (1911) says that, at Kuiu Island, Alaska, between April 25 and May 6, “it was abundant and in large flocks, feeding in company with the numerous other waders frequenting the mud flats.” H. B. Conover saw it only once at Hooper Bay, Alaska, on May 18.

_Nesting._--The breeding grounds and the nesting habits of the surf bird long remained unknown. The birds vanished from the coast of Alaska about the first of June and were not seen again for six weeks or more, when they appeared again with their young. Rumors suggested that they bred in the mountains in the interior. O. J. Murie (1924) gave us the first definite information, when he discovered the breeding ground of the species in the Mount McKinley Park region of central Alaska. On July 13, 1921, he was descending a slope above timber line, “when two surf birds were flushed and circled about making an outcry.” He was “presently rewarded by seeing a downy young one striding away bravely over the rough ground.” The young bird was secured and one of the parents, which proved to be the male, thus establishing the first breeding record for the species.

Five years later Joseph Dixon (1927) spent considerable time in this same region and succeeded in finding, on May 28, 1926, the first nest of the surf bird. He took some excellent photographs and made a thorough study of the bird and its habits, thus completing the picture very satisfactorily. I shall quote freely from his excellent published account of it. Regarding the nesting site and the nest he writes:

One of the most striking things about the surf bird is
the remarkable difference between its winter and summer
habitat. Near the end of their northward migration in the
spring these birds abandon the seacoast and take up their
summer residence far in the interior, from 300 to 500 miles
from salt water. This involves a great altitudinal shift.
Instead of living at sea level as they do at other seasons,
during nesting time they are to be found on barren,
rocky mountains high up above timber line. During the
entire summer we never found these birds below 4,000 feet
elevation.

The rocky character of the surf birds’ surroundings appears
to remain fairly constant throughout the year. In summer
the birds are to be found most frequently near the summits
of the rock slides where the broken rocks are much the
same as the rugged reefs they inhabit during the winter.
We found in the Mount McKinley district that the summer
range of the surf bird was almost identical with that of
the mountain sheep and that it was useless to look for surf
birds outside of “sheep” country.

When standing on a barren wind-swept ridge late in the
afternoon of May 28, searching a nearby hillside with
binoculars, Mr. Wright’s attention was attracted to a
grayish bird that was sneaking hurriedly along over the
rocky ground. As he watched, the bird apparently faded
out of sight some 600 feet away. Marking the point of
disappearance he hurried over to the spot where the bird
was last seen and, falling to find the bird, began to think
he was mistaken. But, upon his taking one more step, the
bird flew up suddenly right into his face, startling him
mightily. As the bird flew away, the large white rump
patch, together with a white patch on either wing, brought
realization that this was the long-sought-for surf bird. A
hasty glance at his feet revealed the nest and contents of
four eggs. Another step forward and he would have placed
his foot directly in the nest! To George M. Wright belongs
the honor of being the first white man, of which we have
any record, to lay eyes on the nest and eggs of this rare
bird.

The surf bird’s nest was located 1,000 feet above timber
line on a rocky ridge that faced southwest and lay fair to
the sun and hence was relatively free from snow. The nest
site was on dry rocky ground and not on the wet tundra
which was plentiful nearby. The rocky ground about the nest
was clothed with a thin carpet of alpine-arctic vegetation,
the tallest of which were a few creeping arctic willows
less than 2 inches high. The most conspicuous plant about
the nest was the white-flowered _Dryas integrifolia_. The
nest was entirely out in the open with no bushes that
afford the least concealment. In fact it was almost “out
in the street,” since the eggs were within a foot of a
frequently traveled trail of the white Alaska mountain
sheep (_Ovis dalli_). There was no fabricated nest such
as the wandering tattler makes. Instead, the eggs were
deposited in a natural erosional depression, the sides
of which had been lined with a few bits of dried-up
grayish-green lichens and caribou moss. The bottom of the
nest was composed of the dead emarginate leaves of _Dryas
integrifolia_, which only partially covered the crumbling
serpentine outcrop that formed the backbone of the ridge.
The nest, which was barely large enough to hold the four
eggs, which were placed as close together as possible, with
little ends down, measured 4 inches in diameter and an inch
and a half in depth. The eggs in the nest blended so well
with the reddish brown moss of the tundra that it became
difficult to make them out at a distance of more than 8 or
10 feet.

The nest was found at nearly 9 o’clock in the evening. They built a crude shelter of rocks near it and kept a careful watch over it all that night and half of the next day. During this time Mr. Dixon (1927) made these observations:

When it began to rain the surf bird merely fluffed up and
then spread out the feathers on his back so as completely
to cover the nest. This proved an effective method,
because the melting snow and the rain ran readily off the
surf-bird’s back and was absorbed by the moss outside the
nest. We were not so well protected and were soon shivering
and wet to the skin.

At 4 o’clock a female mountain sheep appeared, silently,
like a ghost, out of the mist that came drifting over the
mountain peaks in great white swirls. She did not see us
at first, but when she was within 6 feet of and headed
directly toward the surf-bird’s nest she became suddenly
aware of our presence and took a step or two forward.
When the ewe was about to step on the nest the surf bird
suddenly “exploded” right in the astonished animal’s face.
This unexpected movement and the sudden noise and flash
of white of the bird’s spread wings and tail caused the
mountain sheep to jump back quickly; then she whirled
around and bounded off back up the trail. This sudden
movement of the surf bird at the critical moment doubtless
serves to prevent sheep and caribou from trampling upon its
nest and eggs. We found through repeated experiments that
this was the bird’s regular reaction. When we approached,
whether fast or slow, the bird would stay on the nest until
the last minute, and then, instead of sneaking off low to
the ground like most birds do, would fly directly up into
our faces. Even after we knew that the bird would do this
the psychological result on our part was the same. A person
would involuntarily recoil when the bird “exploded” like a
firecracker right in his face.

When first frightened off the nest by Mr. Wright the
previous afternoon the bird, which we later thought might
have been the female, after “exploding,” ran away with
wings half spread and the tail spread out fanlike and
dragging on the ground. This displayed conspicuously the
white rump patch. Now and then this bird would nestle down
as though covering a nest. When about 100 yards distant
from the nest the bird began to wander about, pretending
to feed. It exhibited no concern whatever when Mr. Wright
returned to the nest and examined the eggs. It made no
attempt to return to the nest even after the observer
had retired to a distance and waited for a period of 10
minutes, during which interval rain began to fall.

In marked contrast with this rather indifferent attitude,
the bird which was watched on the nest for 16 hours,
behaved in an entirely different manner. This second bird,
when forced off the nest, would fly directly up into the
intruder’s face, and then run off to one side, a distance
of 8 or 10 feet, where it would perch on a rock, fluff out
its feathers like a “sitting” hen and utter a low plaintive
call, _tee-tee-teet!_ The call would often be repeated
two or three times after a slight pause of half a minute
between calls. When we started after this bird it would
lead us adroitly away from the nest; but if we stood still
it would soon hustle directly back, even when we were
standing only 10 feet distant. In going on to the nest the
bird was very careful not to step directly upon the eggs.
It would trot up to within a foot or so of the eggs and
then sneak cautiously down to the edge of the nest. Here it
would stop, inspect the eggs, and reach out with its bill
and turn the eggs about, keeping them little ends down.
Following this inspection the bird fluffed out the feathers
on its breast and sitting down gently on the edge of the
nest, slid its body forward with great care, until the eggs
were completely covered.

_Eggs._--I have not yet seen these eggs, so I will quote Mr. Dixon’s (1927) excellent description of them:

The eggs of the surf bird are not easily confused with the
eggs of any other North American sandpiper or plover. In
shape they are pyriform but, though similar in form to eggs
of other birds of the order Limicolae, in color they appear
more like eggs of the falcons, particularly certain eggs of
the sparrow hawk and prairie falcon.

In the type set, which is now safely housed in the
well-known Thayer collection, there is considerable
variation both in the ground color and in the markings of
the eggs. Three eggs of this set have an intensely buffy
ground color, while the fourth egg is of the same color
but decidedly lighter. The markings on the three eggs are
bold, varying in color from fawn to bay. The markings
on the fourth egg are small and evenly distributed. The
four eggs may be described as follows: The first egg has
a light ground color which equals tilleul-buff. In this
egg the marking consists of fine splashes, one-half to
two millimeters in length. There is but slight tendency
for the markings to form a wreath on the larger end. A
few small dark brown spots on its larger end identifies
this egg, which resembles slightly certain eggs of the
yellow-billed magpie. In egg number two the ground color
is rich tilleul-buff, while the markings consist of bold
bay-colored spots and splashes from one-half to three
millimeters in length. These spots are concentrated about
the larger end of the egg, where in places they are so
dense as completely to obscure the ground color. A few
deep-seated lavender under-shell markings are apparent
on this egg. Egg number three is similar both in ground
color and in markings to egg number two, except in egg
number three the heavy bay markings form a decided wreath
21 millimeters in diameter about its larger end. Egg
number four has the richest ground color of all, while its
markings are fawn, but the markings are not so sharply
defined as in the other eggs.

The four eggs measure =43.7= by 30.5, 41.5 by =31.5=, 43.3 by 31.2, and =42.4= by =31=, and they average 42.7 by 31 millimeters.

_Young._--Mr. Dixon (1927) demonstrated most conclusively that the male does most, if not all, of the incubating. The bird that they had under observation for 16 hours and the only one seen near the nest proved to be the male. All of the five males collected had bare incubation patches, while none of the females had these. Mr. Murie (1924) found both parents attending the young bird which he captured; and the one shot, probably the more solicitous one, was the male. Evidence is accumulating all the time to show that with more shore birds than we realize, perhaps with all, the males perform the greater part of the domestic duties.

_Plumages._--The young bird taken by Mr. Murie is still in the downy stage. The upper parts are variegated and mottled with “cinnamon buff,” brownish black, “sepia,” and buffy white; the forehead and sides of the head are buffy white, boldly spotted and striped with black; the crown is mainly spotted with black; the buffy tints are mainly on the upper back, wings, thighs, and rump; the under parts are grayish white, whitest on the chin and belly.

When the young birds come down to the coast of Alaska, in August, they are in full juvenal plumage. In this the crown is streaked with “fuscous” and brownish black, the feathers having white edgings; the chin and throat are white, with shaft streaks of “hair brown”; there is a broad band of “hair brown” across the breast, with white edgings, running into spots below, which are lacking on the white belly; the mantle is “hair brown,” with very narrow whitish edgings, giving a scaled appearance; the scapulars also have a subterminal “fuscous” bar; the lesser and median wing coverts are broadly or conspicuously edged with grayish white.

A partial postjuvenal molt in the early fall produces a first winter plumage which is like the adult winter, except that there are fewer and smaller spots on the under parts; and the juvenal wing coverts and some scapulars are retained.

Two specimens, collected in Peru on June 30, illustrate the first nuptial plumage. These are doubtless birds which do not migrate north to breed during their first year. Apparently a nearly complete molt has taken place, as the wings and tail appear fresh, but some of the old scapulars and wing coverts are retained. The adult nuptial plumage is suggested, but all traces of cinnamon are lacking; the feathers of the mantle are “fuscous” or “hair brown,” broadly edged with grayish white and subterminally bordered with brownish black; the crown is grayish white, streaked with dusky; the scapulars are “fuscous” to brownish black, broadly tipped, notched, or spotted with pale grayish; the breast and flanks are less heavily marked than in the adult. I have not seen this plumage described elsewhere. At the next molt the adult winter plumage is assumed.

Adults have a complete postnuptial molt in August; I have seen one with primaries and secondaries molting as early as August 27. In adult winter plumage the upper parts are uniform “fuscous,” with only slightly lighter (“hair brown”) edgings; the chin and throat are white, spotted with “hair brown”; there is a broad band of “hair brown” across the chest and below it the under parts are marked on the breast and flanks with hastate spots of “fuscous.”

A partial prenuptial molt of the body plumage takes place in April and May, but some of the old winter feathers are generally retained. In full nuptial plumage the head and neck are grayish white, everywhere boldly streaked, or spotted, with black and slightly suffused on the crown with “pinkish cinnamon”; the feathers of the back are centrally black, broadly edged with white and tinged with “pinkish cinnamon”; but the most striking features of this plumage are the scapulars, boldly patterned with “pinkish cinnamon” and black, with narrow whitish tips; the white under parts are boldly marked, especially on the breast and flanks, with hastate, subcordate, or crescentic spots of brownish black. The cinnamon colors fade during the breeding season to pale buff and eventually to white in July birds.

_Food._--On its breeding grounds in summer the surf bird feeds almost entirely on insects, mainly flies and beetles. The analysis of the stomach contents of eight birds, taken in Alaska and examined by the Biological Survey, shows the following proportions: Diptera, 55.2 per cent; Coleoptera, 36 per cent; Lepidoptera, 3.8 per cent; Hymenoptera, 3.3 per cent; Phalangidea, 1 per cent; snails, 5 per cent; and seeds, 2 per cent. Mr. Dixon (1927) says of its feeding habits:

Three days later seven surf birds were found feeding in
company at midday near this same spot. This time they were
foraging near the top of a very steep talus slope that lay
fair to the sun. Only a few scant flowers grew amid the
rocks, but insects were numerous and active. One surf bird
which, when later collected, proved to be a male stood
guard while the others fed. The slightest movement on my
part was sufficient to cause a warning note to be given
by this sentinel. When feeding, these birds ran hurriedly
over the rocks, traveling as fast or faster than a man
could walk. When an insect was sighted the pursuing surf
bird would stretch out its neck as far and as straight as
possible. Then moving stealthily forward the bird would
make a final thrust and secure the insect in its bill, much
in the same manner that a turkey stalks a grasshopper.

At other seasons the surf bird feeds along the water line on ocean beaches, preferring the rocky or stony shores, or reefs exposed at low tide; here it extracts the soft parts of barnacles, mussels, or other crustaceans and small mollusks, or picks up other minute forms of marine life. It also feeds to some extent at the surf line on sandy beaches or on mud flats, where it picks up similar food from the surface without probing for it. At such times the birds are quite pugnacious unless sufficiently scattered.

_Behavior._--Mr. Dixon (1927) writes:

On June 18 three surf birds were seen close under the
summit of a mountain. Here they occasionally ran about
and picked up insects, but more often they stood still on
exposed rocks and preened their feathers. One of these
three birds frequently raised both wings willet fashion
over its back until they almost met. These individuals
were exceedingly shy and would not allow the naturalist to
approach closer than 100 yards. We found that this timidity
was customary during the nesting season, when the birds
were encountered away from the immediate vicinity of the
nest.

At 8 o’clock on the evening of June 24 I climbed to the
crest of a sharp ridge of one of the lower spurs of the
main Alaskan Range. As I reached the highest peak four
surf birds flew in from a distance. As they circled about
the peak they called, _tee, tee teet_ loudly. Their flight
was swift and plover-like. As they turned the white basal
portions of their tails together with the white bars of
their wings formed four white V’s which stood out vividly
in the strong glow of the evening sun. They circled the
peak several times, calling loudly and evidently seeking
for others of their kind. Soon there was an answering call
from the ground and the four birds settled down on a rocky
spur where three other surf birds were already feeding.
When I crawled up to within 50 yards of them all seven
birds ceased feeding and began to call loudly. After a
period of several minutes they began to feed again, one
remaining on guard while the others ran hither and thither
chasing insects over the rocks and tundra.

Florence M. Bailey (1916) says of the behavior of surf birds on the California coast:

At high tide one day two of the surf birds were standing
on the sand ridge just above the water resting from their
labors, one with its back to the incoming waves staring
ahead of it as if lost in reverie. On the beach one of the
silent, solitary _Aphrizas_ would often stand facing me, as
if studying me intently, when, though I could not read its
innermost thoughts, I had a good chance to note its light
forehead and eye line, its white underparts, and streaked
chest. Two of the droll birds were found one day engaged
in an amusing performance that suggested the sparring of
boys. One turned sideways to the other as if on guard, then
dropped the wing on that side and spread its tail till the
white rump showed. The other in turn spread its tail and
they hopped over each other, doing this a number of times.
They would also dip their bills menacingly, and one of them
sat down several times as part of the play. As they flew
off they gave their wild _key-wé-ah_.

When wanting to move down the beach one often flew close
along under the green wall of the combing surf. When it
alit its wings would be held out for an instant showing
the clear white line down their length and the broad
white base of the tail with the dusky tip. When on shore
they stood around so much with their preoccupied dreamy
gaze that, when one took wing and flew with swift strong
wing strokes out across the surf and over the ocean, a
disappearing white spot, you stood bewildered. Your idle
dreamer was a child of the sea! Perhaps when it stood on
the sandy beach with preoccupied gaze it was dreaming of
its rocky surf-dashed home to the north, or of its rocky
surf-dashed winter home to the south. How well its wild,
keen, plaintive _key-ah-wee_ tells the story!

_Field marks._--While standing on rocks, at a distance or when the light is poor, surf birds might be mistaken for black turnstones, but they are somewhat larger. They are more stockily built and generally darker colored than other shore birds. But in flight they may be easily recognized by the broad white band in the wing, and by the white upper tail coverts and basal half of the tail; they lack the broad white patch in the center of the back and white stripes, which distinguish the turnstones.

_Fall._--The birds apparently leave their breeding grounds in July and move down to the coast of Alaska; some reach Oregon before the end of July and California early in August. Apparently the adults come first. Young birds have been taken on the coast of southern Alaska as early as August 27 and have been noted at St. Michael up to the last of September. During the fall they move gradually down the coast, lingering for the winter at favorable places.

_Winter._--The surf bird winters in small numbers, occasionally if not regularly, as far north as Wrangell, Alaska. Carl Lien has sent me the following notes from the coast of Washington:

Destruction Island lies 50 miles south of Cape Flattery
and 3 out from the mainland. It is 35 acres in extent
and surrounded by extensive reefs which are uncovered at
low tide. There are numerous rocky ridges that are well
above the water at high tide, these ridges forming little
protected bays and harbors.