Because of their remote breeding grounds and extremely broad winter distribution, Sanderlings are best surveyed during migration when many congregate at coastal sites (Myers et al. 1990), where they are easy to observe. The species is fairly commonly recorded on these surveys, though only the portion of the population migrating through North America is covered. The results suggest that the Sanderlings migrating south through North America have shown a 75% decrease in population since the early 1970s. Several regional analyses over the past decade have suggested consistent if not statistically significant declines (e.g., Maritime Provinces [Morrison and Hicklin 2001], Quebec [Aubry and Cotter 2001], Delaware Bay [Clark et al. 1993], see Macwhirter et al. 2002). Future assessments of status will be improved when results from the Arctic Program for Regional and International Shorebird Monitoring (Arctic PRISM) become available. The Sanderling is currently below the lowest acceptable level relative to its national population goal (see graph below).
Additional information on: British Columbia Coastal Waterbird Survey
Additional information on: Analyses of Shorebird Migration Monitoring Data
