Happy Father’s Day to all the dads in my life and to any dads reading this.

Spotted Sandpiper on a stump in a creek, Wasatch Mountains, Summit County, UtahSpotted Sandpiper on a stump in a creek – Nikon D500, f7.1, 1/640, ISO 640, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light

This morning I was going to do a post about a wildflower I photographed last week but that wildflower is a noxious weed in Utah and I didn’t think that would be appropriate for Father’s Day.

Instead I selected a photo of a Spotted Sandpiper I photographed on a stump in a creek last week high in the Wasatch Mountains.

Why would I select a sandpiper photograph to express my Happy Father’s Day wishes to all the dads out there?

The reason is that Spotted Sandpiper “dads” do almost all of the incubating for their chicks. They also rear the chicks. They are hands, or wings, on dads. In this species the females generally lay the eggs and the males do all of the work raising the young.

The male Spotted Sandpipers are the ones trying to keep up with the chicks as they run around looking for food and learning about their world. Believe me, these dads work hard to protect their young. I’ve observed them doing just that for many hours.

Note: Female Spotted Sandpipers can store sperm internally for up to a month so sometimes the males are raising young that aren’t his own.

To my sons, my friends and to all the men out there raising your families, biological or chosen, I wish you the best on Father’s Day. I hope the day brings you joy.

On this day I miss my Dads, one died way too young and the other was chosen.

Life is good.

Mia

Click here to see more of my Spotted Sandpiper photos plus facts and information about this species.