here<\/span><\/a> to see more of my Least Sandpiper photos plus facts and information about this species.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Least Sandpipers (Calidris minutilla) are the world’s smallest shorebird, weighing in at a mere 0.7 ounces (20 g), a length of 6 inches and a wingspan of 13 inches.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":133798,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":true,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[27,25,704,1719,2000],"tags":[4004,4039,4440,5132,14752,4077,1720,4958,4017,3521,992,4891,274,10995,1721,165,4957],"class_list":["post-5850","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-avian","category-florida","category-fort-de-soto-county-park","category-least-sandpipers","category-pinellas-county-florida","tag-adult","tag-beach","tag-calidris-minutilla","tag-coastal","tag-coastal-island","tag-gulf-of-mexico","tag-least-sandpiper","tag-peeps","tag-sand","tag-sandpiper","tag-sandpipers","tag-shore","tag-shorebirds-2","tag-smallest","tag-smallest-sandpiper","tag-spring","tag-tiny"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/least-sandpiper-sand-mia-mcpherson-3183.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p11Mom-1wm","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":15671,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2014\/08\/19\/least-sandpiper-at-the-lagoons-edge\/","url_meta":{"origin":5850,"position":0},"title":"Least Sandpiper At The Lagoon’s Edge","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"August 19, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"I came across this diminutive Least Sandpiper while photographing Greater Yellowlegs at a tidal lagoon at Fort De Soto's north beach in the fall of 2008.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Least Sandpiper at the lagoon's edge, Fort De Soto County Park, Pinellas County, Florida","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/least-sandpiper-lagoon-mia-mcpherson-6406.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/least-sandpiper-lagoon-mia-mcpherson-6406.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/least-sandpiper-lagoon-mia-mcpherson-6406.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/least-sandpiper-lagoon-mia-mcpherson-6406.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":23728,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2015\/05\/13\/western-sandpiper-foraging-on-the-north-beach-of-fort-de-soto\/","url_meta":{"origin":5850,"position":1},"title":"Western Sandpiper Foraging on the North Beach of Fort De Soto","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"May 13, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"This is just a simple post of a foraging Western Sandpiper that I found while working on moving my images from their old galleries to the new ones yesterday.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Western Sandpiper foraging on the north beach of Fort De Soto County Park, Pinellas County, Florida","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/western-sandpiper-foraging-mia-mcpherson-2069.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/western-sandpiper-foraging-mia-mcpherson-2069.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/western-sandpiper-foraging-mia-mcpherson-2069.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/western-sandpiper-foraging-mia-mcpherson-2069.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":142947,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2025\/04\/17\/migrating-pectoral-sandpiper-in-oklahoma\/","url_meta":{"origin":5850,"position":2},"title":"Migrating Pectoral Sandpiper In Oklahoma","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"April 17, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Earlier this week, I was delighted to photograph a migrating Pectoral Sandpiper at Sequoyah National Wildlife Refuge in Oklahoma.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Pectoral Sandpiper in Oklahoma, Sequoyah National Wildlife Refuge","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/pectoral-sandpiper-oklahoma-mia-mcpherson-5647.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/pectoral-sandpiper-oklahoma-mia-mcpherson-5647.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/pectoral-sandpiper-oklahoma-mia-mcpherson-5647.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/pectoral-sandpiper-oklahoma-mia-mcpherson-5647.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":30860,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2015\/10\/22\/a-migrating-least-sandpiper-at-farmington-bay\/","url_meta":{"origin":5850,"position":3},"title":"Migrating Least Sandpiper at Farmington Bay","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"October 22, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"The only time I see Least Sandpipers here in Utah is when they are migrating through the Great Basin hub of the Pacific Flyway.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Stretching Least Sandpiper at Farmington Bay WMA, Davis County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/least-sandpiper-stretching-mia-mcpherson-3241.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/least-sandpiper-stretching-mia-mcpherson-3241.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/least-sandpiper-stretching-mia-mcpherson-3241.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/least-sandpiper-stretching-mia-mcpherson-3241.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":9028,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2013\/07\/29\/spots-before-my-eyes-spotted-sandpipers-that-is\/","url_meta":{"origin":5850,"position":4},"title":"Spots Before My Eyes – Spotted Sandpipers That Is","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"July 29, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"So I finally have images of the breeding plumage of this small shorebird that show the spots that gave this bird the name Spotted Sandpiper!","rel":"","context":"In "Beaverhead County"","block_context":{"text":"Beaverhead County","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/locations\/montana\/beaverhead-county-montana\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Nonbreeding Spotted Sandpiper in Florida. Fort De Soto County Park, Pinellas County, Florida","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/spotted-sandpiper-nonbreeding-florida-mia-mcpherson-8383.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/spotted-sandpiper-nonbreeding-florida-mia-mcpherson-8383.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/spotted-sandpiper-nonbreeding-florida-mia-mcpherson-8383.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/spotted-sandpiper-nonbreeding-florida-mia-mcpherson-8383.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":35305,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2016\/02\/07\/an-alert-spotted-sandpiper-in-nonbreeding-plumage\/","url_meta":{"origin":5850,"position":5},"title":"An Alert Spotted Sandpiper in Nonbreeding Plumage","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"February 7, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"This alert Spotted Sandpiper was photographed at Fort De Soto County Park in January of 2009 as it walked down some rip rap towards the water.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"An alert Spotted Sandpiper on rip rap at Fort De Soto County Park, Pinellas County, Florida","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/spotted-sandpiper-nonbreeding-mia-mcpherson-8403.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/spotted-sandpiper-nonbreeding-mia-mcpherson-8403.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/spotted-sandpiper-nonbreeding-mia-mcpherson-8403.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/spotted-sandpiper-nonbreeding-mia-mcpherson-8403.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5850","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5850"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5850\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/133798"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5850"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5850"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5850"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
![\"Least](\"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/least-sandpiper-sand-mia-mcpherson-3183.jpg\" "\\"Least")
Least Sandpiper – Nikon D200, f6.3, 1\/1250, ISO 160, Nikkor 80-400mm VR at 400mm, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n