Sanderling Plan - Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network

of the Sanderling as a Species of High Concern (Brown et al. 2001) (Appendix I – III). The
Sanderling is listed as a Declining Yellow species on Audubon’s 2007 Watch List.
Regionally, the Sanderling appears on a number of special concern lists. It is a Species of
Concern on the Prairie Conservation Action Plan of World Wildlife Fund Canada (Dickson and
Duncan 1993). In the Prairie Canada Shorebird Conservation Plan, Sanderling is listed as a
species of High Conservation Concern as a passage migrant (Gratto-Trevor et al. 2001). The
USFWS lists the Sanderling as a Bird of Conservation Concern in several Bird Conservation
Regions (BCRs) within the Central Flyway, including: Great Basin (BCR 9), Northern Rockies
(BCR 10), Prairie Potholes (BCR 11), and Badlands and Prairies (BCR 17).
Sanderlings are listed as a Species of Conservation Concern on most coastal states’ State
Wildlife Action Plans, for example Florida, North Carolina, Texas, Virginia, and Washington,
among others (State Wildlife Action Plans 2009). State Wildlife Action Plans provide valuable
and current information regarding conservation issues and management needs that relate to
species of concern and their habitats within each state.
POPULATION GOAL(S)
The U.S. Shorebird Conservation Plan gives a tentative population target of 1,500,000
and to restore Sanderling numbers to their 1972 levels (Brown et al. 2001). However, current
population estimates (300,000) have low confidence (i.e., are likely to be in the right order of
magnitude, but are based on broad-scale surveys which do not allow for precise estimates).
Given this uncertainty, it is hard to establish an informed goal at this time, but it may be prudent
to establish one when more information is available. Meanwhile, efforts may be aimed at:
Improving monitoring schemes so that population estimates are more attainable/precise;
Investigating status of Sanderling populations along flyways and on the wintering
grounds;
Halting regional or range-wide declines;
Evaluating and establishing population goals based on carrying capacity (with and
without habitat restoration efforts).
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