The small sandpipers jumped into flight, scattering in front of us. I had barely finished telling my class that often when a group of shorebirds leaps quickly into the air a predator may be attacking them. Suddenly a dark, pointed-winged raptor flashed by us just above head height. The Peregrine Falcon chased the closest group of Western and Least Sandpipers and then moving on unsuccessfully to other groups of birds.

Our Point Reyes Field Seminar (PRFS) shorebird class was enjoying the sight and sounds of hundreds of birds at Limantour Estero. We had walked about halfway out the spit on the marsh side and had timed our visit for a period of mid-tide when a good portion of the tidal flats was exposed. Only a few minutes after we had seen the falcon I heard the high whistling call of a Killdeer. I looked around for the bird, but didn’t see it until I gazed directly overhead. Abruptly the Peregrine flew directly at it, but the Killdeer darted to the side and downward. We were amazed to see the Killdeer make five of these evasive U-shaped flights. Each time we expected the larger, more powerful and usually faster falcon to grab the Killdeer, but it did not and its intended prey escaped off towards the east. We could only guess whether the Peregrine was an inexperienced hunter or was simply “playing” with the smaller bird.

August and September are the best months to see a large variety and number of shorebirds that migrate through the area. Shorebird is the somewhat arbitrary term describing the numerous species of sandpiper and plover that can be found along the shore or other wetland habitats. On our walk at Limantour recently we saw Black-bellied Plover, Red-necked Phalarope, Short-billed Dowitcher and ten other species of shorebirds. Many of these birds have made a hazardous journey from breeding sites on the tundra of Alaska or Canada. Some will stay in the area through the fall and winter, but many will continue to the south where they will spend the winter in Central or South America.

West Marin is blessed with an abundance of wetlands and sites to view shorebirds. Bolinas Lagoon, Limantour Estero, Drake’s Estero, Abbott’s Lagoon, Tomales Bay and Bodega Bay are vitally important feeding and resting sites for tens of thousands of shorebirds. Without these avian “refueling” sites these birds very existence would be in jeopardy.

In every season, there are interesting birds to see in West Marin. However, the next few weeks are an especially good time to visit one of our special wetlands and enjoy these “wind” birds that have journeyed huge distances to travel here.