In On the Move, our regular column about migration, we present pairs of distribution maps from eBird that you can use to compare where interesting birds are at different times of year. We featured Dunlin, pictured above, in our October 2016 issue.

Dunlin

Dunlin breeds on subarctic and arctic coastal tundra in western and northern Alaska, around Hudson Bay, and east to James Bay, Canada. Individuals vacate their breeding range entirely during the winter and are found along the Pacific coast from southern Alaska to central Mexico, along the Atlantic coast from New England south to Florida, along the Gulf coast, and south to the Yucatán Peninsula, Mexico.

On the January map (left), purple squares at inland sites in southern states represent individuals or small groups of birds wintering around the edges of lakes and in wetlands and flooded fields.

In October (right), the species can be found across much of southern Canada and the Lower 48, where it occurs with other shorebirds on coastal estuaries, bays, and flooded agricultural fields. Particularly high wintering concentrations occur in the Central Valley of California.

See eBird’s real-time distribution map for Dunlin.

See photos of Dunlin.

A version of this article appeared in “Birding Briefs” in the October 2016 issue of BirdWatching. Subscribe.

 

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Originally Published September 15, 2016