The Sanderlings Poem by Francis Duggan

The sanderlings run up and down the bay
And from incoming waves they run away
And then race back invertebrate to eat
As soon as the waves commence to retreat.

From north Siberia they have journeyed down
Along the coast by many coastal town
By coastal Asia, Australia and further south
And back again they follow the same route.

Born in the dunes up by the Artic sea
They do not have a Nationality
Nomadic birds from coast to coast they fly
And roam the World until the day they die.

On their breeding grounds a two or three months stay
And then they fly south further south each day
And they fly as high as aircraft experts say
And stop to feed at beaches on their way.

In February the little sanderling
Will start their journey north towards northern Spring
And raise their families by the Artic shore
And with their children journey south once more.