On Sat, 23 Mar 1996, Jon. Anderson and Marty Chaney wrote:

> People going after the clams with either a clam gun or a shovel usually
> leave the sand in a pile next to the hole. The birds in this flock
> appeared to be going from sand pile to sand pile, picking at the pile. I
> am aware that there are several "sand worms" (Polychaeta), as well as
> isopods, little sand shrimps (Archaeomysis ?) and sand bugs (Emerita) dug
> up and left in the sand piles (and probably a whole lot of other critters
> that I don't know about), but I was not able to discern what the
> sanderlings were going after. > Later, at nearly high tide at Grayland
> State Park, I watched about 175 sanderlings feeding in the "sand worm"
> zone where folks digging worms and sand shrimp for fish bait had left
> sand piles, but this flock seemed to pay no attention to the sand piles.

We went to Morro Bay at Christmas time and saw the same sort of behavior
(i.e. a whole bunch of shorebirds following around the clam guy and
checking out his freshly made holes). Unfortunately, though I have a
photo of the litle guys that did it, I don't know their exact species--
but I suspect Western Sandpiper. Perhaps I'll put the photos on the Web
so the experts can take a look at 'em for me. But two species were
easily discernible: a Great Egret and a Marbled Godwit. Both of these
characters kept sticking their beaks into every hole the clam guy made,
immediately after he made them (the Great Egret was less than three feet
from the guy when I showed up-- wished he liked people with cameras as
much as clam guys...) There was also a Black-crowned Night Heron present,
but he showed no sign of interest and preferred to cool off under the
eucalyptus trees.

-Pat
scott931 at uidaho.edu