A Bug! I Need a Bug!!

  The little teeter-tail raced up and down the pier in search of anything that resembled a bug.  The bird, a Spotted Sandpiper, was most likely a bit hungry after its long migration and a meal was of high importance. The little one needed sustenance before the cool air that was to arrive late this evening.  Up and down, up and down...searching...ever searching for one tiny bug.  I watched as the sandpiper hopped down on one post and jubilantly snatched up a spider.  In the bird's eyes, a spider would work in a pinch.  Then, on to bigger and better things, the bird found a late moth that was clinging to the old boat hook.  Well, a moth and a spider would at least give the bird energy to keep on searching for a meal.  

  It did not take long before the small bird hopped down onto the mudflats.  There, it found a plethora of midges that hovered around the mud and marsh roots.  Hoping to fill its belly, the sandpiper darted about snatching bugs in mid flight.  

  The sandpiper gets its nickname "Teeter-tail" from its habit of bobbing up and down. While there has been no scientific explanation for the teetering habit, the birds do it naturally rather quickly after hatching.  Up and down, up and down....the birds remind me of some balance toy from back when the kids were tots. 

  I sure hope my little friend can find lots to eat before the incoming cold front.  There is nothing worse than to spend a cold, wet night on an empty stomach.  Perhaps I should consider putting suet/insect blocks out on the pier in a last ditch effort to help my little friends.  Maybe??...