Drama between Spotted Sandpiper and Merlin - Mt. Desert Island

[Craig Kesselheim]

Hi all - Here's the paragraph I entered into eBird this morning to accompany a productive bird walk on the s. end of the Cape Road on MDI (hotspot - Seal Cove).

Link to the full list in eBird is here, with poor documentary photos included.

Cheers,

Craig K, Southwest Harbor

I was already in my car after this walk, with my side window facing the water, when two birds flew into view, near to the shore and low. Maybe 30' at the most from me. The first bird was a sandpiper, but it hit the water and dove immediately. The second bird was a Merlin who hovered briefly then flew away. The sandpiper stayed underwater and out of sight for multiple seconds before it emerged at the surface. Before I got my bins on the bird my impression was, "this bird floats like a phalarope." But in bins, the bird was clearly a SPSA who had barely escaped with its life. It sat afloat for longer than I would have thought feasible for a non-swimming sandpiper, then burst into a short flight to the shore. It was resting and motionless on a shoreline rock when I left. Wow. Poor photos attached.

[Jill]

FWIW, birds float extraordinarily well - pigeons that end up in my stock tanks die of hypothermia rather than drown.

On May 20, 2021, at 9:30 AM, Craig Kesselheim <ckess...@gmail.com> wrote:



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