Shorebird Help

[John Schultz]

Found on a beach in Biddeford Pool, ME, in with Sanderlings.

http://jsch33.smugmug.com/Animals/Birds/unknown-009/1008808795_somhY-L.jpg

Any help, thanks

John

[John Chardine]

Of the North American "peeps"- the small, Calidris sandpipers- the Least Sandpiper has yellow/green legs. However, some European peeps (stints) have yellowish legs too. In this case though, the field marks of this bird (scaly back, light forehead) eliminate the European possibilities, and so we are left with Least Sandpiper, I think a juvenile based on the reddish colouration. However, I'm worried about the well-defined streaking on the upper sides. Is this OK for Least?

Having said all this I'll admit to being a rank amateur when it comes to shorebirds so invite the above to be shot down!

[Chris Sloan]

This is a juvenile Least Sandpiper. Note the yellowish legs, slightly decurved bill with a fine tip, and the bright contrasty upperparts with lots of rufous and white edging.

[John Schultz]

I don't think it's a Least, it was about the same size as the Sanderlings. There were reports of Bairds in that area. Guess I'll have to dig out my sandpiper book.

[Chris Sloan]

John-
This is definitely a Least. No other North American shorebird shows this combination of size and characters. Baird's can be eliminated based on the bill shape (much longer and straighter in Baird's), upperparts (Baird's doesn't have those rich rufous tones and the strong scapular V), and breast (Baird's has kind of a caramel wash on the breast with some light streaking). Baird's also lacks yellow legs and has very very long wings relatively to the tail.

[John Chardine]

The most famous American bird watcher ever to have lived in modern times- Roger Tory Peterson- developed a system of identification that relied on elimination of possible species based on a single or a very few key features. He illustrated his books with beautifully painted representations of the species, each with one or more short, dark lines pointing to these key features. In his Field Guide to the Birds, the Least Sandpiper illustration has, you guessed it, a line pointing to the yellowish legs. As mentioned above by Chris and myself, no other common North American peep shows this feature, so your ID work is done. Again the elegance of this method, is that very often the complex task of species ID can be reduced to the presence or absence of one key feature. This works for me (and millions of others who have bought the Peterson Field Guide series) because I have a heck of a job remembering every minute difference between species.