Abstract
and many were territorial, which would further limit local population densities. Western Amazonia, therefore, may have few areas where shorebirds are concentrated and in need of special protection (Myers 1983). Perhaps the major reason why migrant shorebirds do not occur in large numbers is the unpredictability of the onset of the rainy season. The peak numbers of most shorebirds occurred in October, which also coincides with the beginning of the wet season (Terborgh 1983). Early rainy season floods cover mudflats and leave behind a layer of silt which may impede foraging. Only the Spotted Sandpiper, which uses steep river banks and logjams, remains after the first wet season floods. We know nothing, however, of prey concentrations, which may also influence shorebird abundance.
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