Dowitchers and Amphipods | Bob Armstrong's Nature Alaska

These dowitchers (a species of shorebird i.e. sandpiper) are feeding heavily in an intertidal slough in Juneau, Alaska.
What they are feeding on is a type of amphipod that is tube dwelling.
These amphipods have been found to be extremely important food for certain shorebirds, especially during their migration.
They can be extremely abundant and an easy food for shorebirds to find.
In one study on the Mendenhall Wetlands Willson and Baldwin found a density of Corophium amphipods at roughly 20,000 per square meter.
Try to learn how these shorebirds can sense these tiny amphipods at the end of their bill.
We discuss the value of tube dwelling amphipods on page 59 of our book on the Mendenhall Wetlands
Information on shorebirds in Alaska can be found in The Shorebirds are coming! by Bob Armstrong and Marge Hermans