The Spotted Sandpiper Actitis macularia is the most common member of a large family of long-legged shorebirds.
They are commonly seen teetering about on beaches and salt marshes, although they may also be found in disused parking lots and other places. The breast is spotted only during the breeding season; in winter it is plain white.
Plovers are similar.
Most sea birds are strictly protected by law, and may not be approached or harassed.
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The many creatures on this page are lumped together for the one trait they all have in common - they are all "jelly-like" - soft, gelatinous, and more-or-less transparent. Other than that, they are for the most part completely unrelated. True Jellyfishes, Hydromedusae, and Siphonophores are in the phylum Cnidaria, related to bottom-dwelling Hydroids, Sea Anemones, and corals. Comb Jellies are in the phylum Ctenophora, and are completely unrelated to jellyfishes, as are Sea Butterflies and Corollas, which are mollusks. Salps are free-swimming tunicates, more closely related to us than to any of these other creatures.
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