Like most migratory shorebirds that visit Australia, the Sanderling breeds in Siberia and then, after breeding has concluded, migrates south along the East-Asia–Australasian Flyway until it reaches our shores. However, unlike most migratory shorebirds that visit Australia, Sanderlings often occur on exposed sandy beaches that are subject to the ocean’s swell, habitats more usually associated with Hooded Plovers. Because of this habitat preference, Sanderling hotspots include the exposed coasts on the Eyre Peninsula in South Australia and at Discovery Bay in south-western Victoria.
A Sanderling will feed busily and briskly on the shoreline, jabbing its bill in the sand, snatching at prey, then retreating from the waves – like a clockwork toy. They eat mainly insects and other arthropods and small crustaceans, by day and night. They also eat seeds and buds on their nesting grounds.
