Blane Klemek Outdoors: The upland sandpiper is in a league of its own

A few days ago while exploring a favorite forest, I nearly stepped on an American woodcock, a woods-loving shorebird.

The bird startled me when it flushed as I watched it land only a few yards away. Thinking the plump little bird was an incubating hen, I looked down and quickly located her nest.

Arranged neatly together were four cryptic eggs inside a shallow nest bowl comprised of mostly dried leaves.

I related that little story as a prelude to another shorebird — the upland sandpiper. Indeed, woodcock are to shorebirds and to the forest as upland sandpipers are to shorebirds and the prairie.

Put another way, these distinct species of birds, though relatives, are shorebirds of a different feather. The former is a forest dweller while the latter is a denizen of prairie grasslands.

I recognize the oddity of classifying this grassland-loving upland sandpiper with those others known as shorebirds or sandpipers, but, truth told, upland sandpipers, though looking the part, behave like no other bird of its kind.

Perhaps the upland sandpiper would have been more appropriately placed in a family by itself. For sure, the bird is at least in its own genus.

Upland sandpipers, although frequently observed near prairie wetlands, breed and nest within mixed short and tallgrass prairie uplands, wet meadows, pastures, old fields, and sometimes grain fields.

It’s very common to observe the species perched on the tops of fence posts or on rocks and boulders.

I was always captivated by the upland sandpiper’s whistles and call notes. Described by one observer: "The calls of the upland sandpiper are unmistakable ... a bubbling ‘pip-pip-pip-pip’ along with the beautiful ‘whr-r-reep, whreeeow’ whistle."

Further explained, with respect to the enchanting courtship whistle, it is often described as a "wolf whistle," though much mellower, drawn out, and bubbly sounding.

Another source, this time from author, naturalist, and ornithologist Arthur Cleveland Bent, wrote in 1927 about the whistle as, "... one of its greatest charms; once heard in its perfection it will never be forgotten; and it often serves to identify the species when the bird cannot be seen."

Still, another version of the endearing courtship whistle of the upland sandpiper, which was formerly known as "upland plover," came from Katherine U. Hunter (1916), who wrote, "The prolonged wail, vague and sad, of the plovers rose in our upland pasture . . . Ungainly, spirit-voiced birds! Once from out the black, vibrant night came the eerie, long-drawn whistle of a plover lover."

For me, the upland sandpiper provides the link in my mind’s eye to that of my summers studying birds on North Dakota’s prairie lands. I recall with reverence a bird on delicate wings alighting on the tops of fence posts with such grace and beauty that I became instantly drawn to.

In fact, so enamored was I of upland sandpipers that I conducted a side research project on the species that was eventually published in The Prairie Naturalist, the official journal of the Great Plains Natural Science Society.

When landing on a favorite perch, the upland sandpiper momentarily holds its outstretched wings above its head before gently and slowly folding them along its sides.

A peculiar habit, but a behavior that I found to be touching, was something I so appreciated watching. Indeed, entries in my field research journal often included mention of upland sandpipers.

July 9, 1997: "I called a curious upland sandpiper to me today. He or she landed less than a few yards from me on top of a post."

July 17, 1997: "Snipe are still winnowing. Upland sandpipers' territorial calls can still be heard as well. I'm also hearing Sprague pipits perform."

July 1, 1999: "Laid back for a spell and listened to the upland sandpipers. What a sweet and mellow and pleasing whistle."

To watch a short YouTube video of the upland sandpiper’s whistle, search for the clip titled "Upland Sandpiper" uploaded by Matt Wetrich.

Upland sandpipers, a prairie shorebird of the Great Plains and western and northwestern Minnesota, are a special species of sandpiper worth getting to know as we get out and enjoy the great outdoors.

Blane Klemek is a Minnesota DNR wildlife manager. He can be reached at bklemek@yahoo.com.