{"id":6850,"date":"2012-12-20T04:15:30","date_gmt":"2012-12-20T11:15:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/?p=6850"},"modified":"2025-08-17T19:16:09","modified_gmt":"2025-08-18T00:16:09","slug":"short-billed-dowitcher-on-the-wrack-line","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2012\/12\/20\/short-billed-dowitcher-on-the-wrack-line\/","title":{"rendered":"Short-billed Dowitcher On The Wrack Line"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Short-billedShort-billed Dowitcher on seaweed – Nikon D200, handheld, f5.6, 1\/500, ISO 200, Nikkor 80-400mm VR at 400mm, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

In the past I have been asked what a wrack line is by friends when I have mentioned it while talking about my shorebird photography.<\/p>\n

A wrack line is an area on the shore just above mean high tide where wave action can deposit driftwood, seaweed, man made items, eelgrass, the remains of marine creatures and small invertebrates and can be a prime feeding ground for birds and animals that are hunting for food.<\/p>\n

I photographed this Short-billed Dowitcher and the out of focus Sanderling the day after a storm had pushed mounds of Sargassum seaweed onto the wrack line and the birds were busy looking for food within it. This Dowitcher gave me a nice wing stretch before it moved further down the beach.<\/p>\n

A word of warning; if the wrack line does have the remains of marine creatures in it you may have to hold your breath when near it because it can smell absolutely horrible.<\/p>\n

Life is<\/em> good.<\/p>\n

Mia<\/p>\n

Click here<\/span><\/a> to see more of my Short-billed Dowitcher photos plus facts and information about this species.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I photographed this Short-billed Dowitcher and the out of focus Sanderling the day after a storm had pushed mounds of Sargassum seaweed onto the wrack line and the birds were busy looking for food within it.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":152514,"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":[27,25,704,2000,1422],"tags":[4004,5132,6334,5086,4077,4355,4036,4477,5085,2023,4524,274,1423,2315,12113,815],"class_list":["post-6850","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-avian","category-florida","category-fort-de-soto-county-park","category-pinellas-county-florida","category-short-billed-dowitchers","tag-adult","tag-coastal","tag-dowitcher","tag-dowitchers","tag-gulf-of-mexico","tag-limnodromus-griseus","tag-low-angle","tag-sanderling","tag-sargassum","tag-sargassum-seaweed","tag-seaweed","tag-shorebirds-2","tag-short-billed-dowitcher","tag-summer-3","tag-wrack","tag-wrack-line"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/short-billed-dowitcher-seaweed-mia-mcpherson-2330.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p11Mom-1Mu","jetpack_sharing_enabled":false,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":50757,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2018\/01\/23\/short-billed-dowitcher-foraging-in-sargassum-on-the-wrack-line\/","url_meta":{"origin":6850,"position":0},"title":"Short-billed Dowitcher Foraging in Sargassum on the Wrack Line","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"January 23, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"This Short-billed Dowitcher slowly made its way through the Sargassum on the wrack line as I laid in the damp sand photographing it and the other shorebirds that were searching the seaweed for food.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Short-billed Dowitcher in Sargassum, Fort De Soto County Park, Pinellas County, Florida","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/short-billed-dowitcher-seaweed-mia-mcpherson-2339.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/short-billed-dowitcher-seaweed-mia-mcpherson-2339.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/short-billed-dowitcher-seaweed-mia-mcpherson-2339.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/short-billed-dowitcher-seaweed-mia-mcpherson-2339.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":4794,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2012\/04\/17\/short-billed-dowitcher\/","url_meta":{"origin":6850,"position":1},"title":"Short-billed Dowitcher","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"April 17, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"Short-billed Dowitchers feed on insects, crustaceans and aquatic mollusks. Quite often when I lived in Florida I would see them feeding on Coquinas which are small bivalves or tiny Fiddler Crabs.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Short-billed Dowitcher at the edge of a tidal lagoon, Fort De Soto County Park, Pinellas County, Florida","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/short-billed-dowitcher-mia-mcpherson-5516.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/short-billed-dowitcher-mia-mcpherson-5516.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/short-billed-dowitcher-mia-mcpherson-5516.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, 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McPherson","date":"January 26, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"Gray skies, freezing temps and the inversions are beginning to get to me so I thought I would share some bird images from warmer days on Fort De Soto County Park's north beach in sunny Florida.","rel":"","context":"In "Atlantic Ghost Crabs"","block_context":{"text":"Atlantic Ghost Crabs","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/wildlife\/ghost-crabs\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Yellow-crowned Night Heron adult devouring a Ghost Crab, Fort De Soto County Park, Pinellas County, Florida","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/yellow-crowned-night-heron-ghost-crab-mia-mcpherson-1428.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/yellow-crowned-night-heron-ghost-crab-mia-mcpherson-1428.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, 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2013","format":false,"excerpt":"Some days I find myself missing Fort De Soto so much it hurts, the birds I found there and the entire experience of just being there. It is just such an amazing place, how could I not miss it?","rel":"","context":"In "American Oystercatchers"","block_context":{"text":"American Oystercatchers","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/shorebirds\/american-oystercatchers\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Marbled Godwit and Dowitcher friends, Fort De Soto County Park, Pinellas County, Florida","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/marbled-godwit-dowitchers-mia-mcpherson-3147.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/marbled-godwit-dowitchers-mia-mcpherson-3147.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/marbled-godwit-dowitchers-mia-mcpherson-3147.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/marbled-godwit-dowitchers-mia-mcpherson-3147.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\/6850","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=6850"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6850\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/152514"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6850"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6850"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6850"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}