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Sanderling Calibris alba or beach runners : a sandpiper like no other

In winter and spring, on the gently sloping sandy beaches of the Atlantic coast, the sight of small flocks of sanderlings never ceases to amaze and delight.

As the tide comes in, you'll see them running up and down the beach, accelerating at full speed before the wave crashes on the sand, moving all together to suddenly climb to the top of the beach, feverishly visiting the debris deposited at the previous tide, then scurrying back down again, trotting on their short black legs, towards the waves and the foam.

They look like graceful, elegant little mechanical toys.
Among the sandpipers (genus Calidris), the sanderling occupies a special place in several respects.

It's the only sandpiper to feed on damp sandy beaches during ebb and flood tides; its short beak means it can't probe deeper than 2 or 3cm, a far cry from the elongated or arched beaks of its cousins such as the Dunlin or the Curlew; and its black legs have all the characteristics of a good long-distance runner on hard (because damp) sand: only three toes instead of four (no toes to the rear); completely free toes with no webbing at the base; and fairly short legs.