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Stream and River Corridors 
In many parts of the world, wetlands undergo a natural change with the seasons. In the spring, snow and ice melt in the mountains. The meltwater causes streams and rivers to rise and seasonal floods to rush downstream. The streams and rivers overflow all along their routes to the estuaries at the sea and fill lowlands.
The meltwater carries nutrients (natural chemicals from water or minerals needed by plants for making food). These nutrients fertilize plants growing in the flooded lowlands. The plants provide food for many different kinds of small animals. Fish, mammals, and birds feed on the small animals.
Shorebirds flying north stop and probe in the mud for snails, worms, and insect larvae. Inland stream and river corridors are good wetland habitat for shorebirds in the spring. Some shorebirds that can be found in these habitats in the spring include Solitary and Spotted Sandpipers and Yellowlegs. These are migratory shorebirds like the Western Sandpiper but, unlike the Western Sandpiper, they breed primarily south of the Arctic.
After the spring meltwater has all run downstream, the rivers and streams fall to very low water levels. This tends to be true in late summer (July to September, depending on where you live). The plants and animals that live along the river corridors must be adapted to survive a couple of months of dry conditions. Fall rains will then come. They will cause the rivers and streams to rise and flood the lowlands again before winter. Is there a river near where you live? Look carefully for shorebirds and other birds along the banks of streams and rivers.
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