Can anyone identify this shorebird?

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Permalink Reply by Pierre Cenerelli on September 4, 2010 at 8:07am

Thanks! That was fast. I thought so, but I just wanted to be sure that I was not way off base. As for the photo, I did have to tweek it with Nikon PictureProject. Best, Pierre

Laura Erickson said:

They're Ruddy Turnstones. Nice photo!

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Permalink Reply by Laura Erickson on September 4, 2010 at 8:12am

Shorebirds can be very tricky. And you have to have a good photo in the first place to tweak it to look so great.

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Permalink Reply by Laura Erickson on September 4, 2010 at 8:22am

I take it back. Western Sandpipers.

Notice the droopy, long bill. (I wasn't paying close enough attention, though the photo shows everything well.)

Pierre Cenerelli said:

Thanks! That was fast. I thought so, but I just wanted to be sure that I was not way off base. As for the photo, I did have to tweek it with Nikon PictureProject. Best, Pierre

Laura Erickson said:

They're Ruddy Turnstones. Nice photo!

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Permalink Reply by Pierre Cenerelli on September 4, 2010 at 11:56am

Thanks for the second opinion. Indeed, the bill seems to be an important clue. I would add the legs as an important field mark: they were indeed dark (as on the photo), not orange.

Laura Erickson said:

I take it back. Western Sandpipers.

Notice the droopy, long bill. (I wasn't paying close enough attention, though the photo shows everything well.)

Pierre Cenerelli said:

Thanks! That was fast. I thought so, but I just wanted to be sure that I was not way off base. As for the photo, I did have to tweek it with Nikon PictureProject. Best, Pierre

Laura Erickson said:

They're Ruddy Turnstones. Nice photo!

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Permalink Reply by Darlene Luckins on September 4, 2010 at 12:27pm

They do look like Western Sandpipers.

We have spotted sandpipers that look similar when they go through a molt, but the bill shape is different and the spotted sandpipers usually have some spots on them even when they molt, as these do not.

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Permalink Reply by Pierre Cenerelli on September 4, 2010 at 6:52pm

I agree. And spotted sandpipers have a distinctive flight - I would have noticed this when these birds flew (in fact, I've seen them regularly on lakes in Québec and it was one of the first things that struck me about them).

Darlene Luckins said:

They do look like Western Sandpipers.

We have spotted sandpipers that look similar when they go through a molt, but the bill shape is different and the spotted sandpipers usually have some spots on them even when they molt, as these do not.

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