The Story
This Least Sandpiper (Calidris minutilla) was at Reserva Natural El Encanto de Guanapalo in Casanare, Colombia when I photographed it. The Least Sandpiper breeds on tundra and in bogs in northern North America. It migrates in flocks to the southern United States, Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean and northern South America. In winter plumage it is gray above. The young feed themselves and can fly within about two weeks of hatching. The Guanapalo River is a tributary of the Meta, and with the Pauto it drains a basin of about 2,100 square kilometers, mostly in San Luis de Palenque. IUCN lists the Least Sandpiper as Near Threatened, with a decreasing population.
I made this frame with a Pentax K-1 and the HD Pentax-D FA 150-450mm f/4.5-5.6, at 1/400 sec, f/5.6, ISO 100. El Encanto de Guanapalo pays for its conservation through traditional cattle ranching, ecotourism and carbon credits, using the Cataruben Foundation’s Co2Bio model.
©2019 Adam Rainoff Photographer
The bird
The Least Sandpiper (Calidris minutilla) belongs to the family Scolopacidae (Sandpipers and Allies) in the eBird/Clements taxonomy.
Source: eBird.org (opens in a new tab)
Conservation
Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List (assessment published 2024), with the population trend listed as decreasing. Source: IUCN Red List