Every now and then some well traveled birds stop off in the Pemberton Valley. This past weekend I spotted a flock, 10 birds , of Pectoral Sandpipers at a wet spot in a farm field. I don’t think they a regular visitors. The last time I observed them here was 2009. These Sandpipers spend their winter in South America as far South as Chile. They are now on their way to the Arctic Ocean and Siberia. The round-trip from breeding grounds in the North to wintering grounds in the South can add up to 30’000 km in 12 months. One reason they can do it, they don’t need a passport, no borders to worry about. I wish them happy travels                

John Tschopp