In breeding season Spotted Sandpipers have bold dark spots on their bright white breast and an orange bill. The back is dark brown. In winter, as shown above, a Spotted Sandpiper's breast is not spotted; it's plain white, while the back is grayish brown and the bill is pale yellow. It is the most widespread breeding Sandpiper in North America. And it has some unusual habits. During breeding season, the males take the lead in incubating the eggs, while the females establish and defend the territory. Also, in some populations, the female practices "polyandry," which means she mates with up to four males in a season, who then each take care of a clutch of eggs. Source: Cornell Laboratory of Orinthology's All About Birds.

This is the first time we have seen or photographed a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, a type of woodpecker, on Avery Island. This one is a juvenile. The Yellow-bellied Sapsucker makes two kinds of holes in trees to harvest sap. Round holes extend deep in the tree and are not enlarged. The sapsucker inserts its bill into the hole to probe for sap. Rectangular holes are shallower, and must be maintained continually for the sap to flow. The sapsucker licks the sap from these holes, and eats the cambium of the tree too.. The sapwells made by Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers attract hummingbirds, which also feed off the sap flowing from the tree. In some parts of Canada, Ruby-throated Hummingbirds rely so much on sapwells that they time their spring migration with the arrival of sapsuckers. (ID by Leah Delahoussaye, bird description from Cornell All About Birds)