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I shot this bird at low tide on the exposed bar that leads to Bar Island in Bar Harbor, Me. It was in a flock of about 15 little birds like it along with Semipalmated Plovers. Could this be a juvenile Black-bellied Plover or is it some kind of sandpiper?
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Take a look in your bird guide at Juvie Sanderling.
When you are done looking at Sanderling.... :) Take a look at semipalmated sandpiper in worn adult plumage :).... just sayin :)
I'm with Shawn on this one.
A quick way to determine age for shorebirds at this time of year is to look at the state of the plumage. Juvenile birds molted in just a month or so ago, so they have neat, clean feathers and often show pale feather edges. Adults molted in back in May, and the additional time shows as wear on their feathers. If you look at your bird, you can see that a lot of feathers look ragged and chewed, denoting an adult at this time of year.
Paul,
Thanks for the plumage information. Then you conclude that it is a Semipalmated Sandpiper?
Tom
Yes, it looks perfect for Semipalmated. Plain plumage with little or no rusty/rufous coloration, dark spots on the wing covert feathers, pale eye line, shortish and thick bill with a heavy tip, and the darkish legs all fit well. I'd expect an adult Sanderling at this time of year to show older, rusty breeding plumage feathers especially in the coverts, have a plainer face, and to appear "chubbier" though shape can be tough to determine accurately in one image.
