Sanderlings in flight (Calidris alba) – Oman.
Flying in tight flocks over the shores of the Arabian Sea, these long-distance migrants connect the coasts of Oman to the Arctic tundras every year.
Always on the move, Sanderlings skirt the shoreline in dense groups, punctuating the coast with their swift, synchronized flights. These small shorebirds travel thousands of miles annually between their Arctic breeding grounds and the temperate or tropical beaches where they overwinter. On the foreshore, they tirelessly follow the ebb and flow of the waves, feeding on tiny invertebrates revealed by the receding water.