Guide

Look closerBirds

Spotted sandpipers teeter along pond and river shores

May to September

The spotted sandpiper bobs the back half of its body up and down as it walks the water's edge, which earned it names like teeter-up and teeter-bob. In this species the female courts the males, and the male does most of the sitting on eggs.

Why this time of year

Mass Audubon's atlas says a few arrive in late April but they become evident across the state in early May, with young seen from June into July. Fall migration is underway by August, and they have usually left by the end of September.

How to notice it

  1. Paddle along a pebbly shoreline of a pond, lake, or river and look for a small, robin-sized shorebird walking at the waterline.
  2. Watch its back end. A spotted sandpiper keeps bobbing its tail up and down as it walks.
  3. In late spring and early summer, look for round black spots on its white belly; by midsummer the adults molt into a plain plumage without spots.
  4. If it flushes, watch it skim low over the water on stiff, flickering wings and listen for a clear peet-weet.

Try this with kids: Can you teeter like a sandpiper, and count how many bobs it makes before it takes a step?

Safety

  • Massachusetts requires canoeists and kayakers to wear a life jacket from September 15 to May 15, and youth under 12 years of age must wear one; the state recommends wearing a life jacket every time you are on the water.

Sources

  • massaudubon.orgMass Audubon Breeding Bird Atlas 1 account (Spotted Sandpiper): common migrant and fairly common breeder statewide; a few arrive in late April, evident on a wide scale in early May; when an observer approaches along a shoreline it flies out over the water uttering a peet-weet call; the female is more aggressive, defending territory and courting males; the male assumes most incubation and care; adults with young recorded June 1 to July 17; fall migration underway by August; "By the end of September, Spotted Sandpipers have departed from our area"; adults molt in midsummer into a plumage that lacks the black spots. read 2026-11-10
  • massaudubon.orgMass Audubon Breeding Bird Atlas 2 account: "Fairly widespread and likely increasing"; nicknames "teeter-peep," "teeter-bob," "teeter-up" come from constantly bobbing its tail as it walks along the water's edge. read 2026-11-10
  • audubon.orgNational Audubon field guide: bobs the rear half of its body up and down; when startled skims away low over the water with rapid shallow wingbeats and stiff-winged glides; about the size of a robin; only sandpiper with round black spots below in breeding plumage; call a clear peet-weet. read 2026-11-10
  • web.archive.orgMass.gov Massachusetts Boating Law Summary (Internet Archive copy dated 2025-12-17; mass.gov itself returns 403 to the fetch tool): "In Massachusetts, PFDs are required to be worn by: Youth under 12 years of age ... Canoeists/kayakers from September 15 - May 15". read 2026-11-10
  • web.archive.orgMassWildlife (DFW) Boating safety page (Internet Archive copy dated 2023-08-17): life jackets must be worn by canoeists and kayakers from September 15 - May 15 and youth under 12; "It is recommended that you wear a life jacket every time you are on the water." read 2026-11-10

Checked against these sources on November 10, 2026.

In the guide for May, June, July, August, September

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