2022-0211 A Day On The Beach

Sanderling hunting for beach hoppers

While most Sanderling on this beach are running up and down in front of the waves to catch Emerita (sand crabs), some of them instead are wandering at the edge of the top of the wave washed zone to capture beach hoppers. Beach hoppers are crustaceans, relatives of shrimp, that eat plant matter that has washed onto the beach. They often make burrows beneath the piles of algae that are commonly found near the high tide line.

©Pete Myers All rights reserved

SanderlingLimantour Spitbeach hoppers