I know next to nothing about shorebirds. I do assume this is a sandpiper. I've looked through my ibird app but still not sure exactly what type this is. Any help would be appreciated.
If you look up Sanderling only to see the breeding plumage you may be confused....so to be precise, looks to be an adult Sanderling in worn winter (non-breeding) plumage.
Hi Lyle- Sandpipers are tough, especially these "peep". As the scientific name of the Sanderling- Calidris alba- implies, Sanderling in their basic, non-breeding plumage show a lot of white (alba) around the head, breast and belly and have a cool, buff-grey look above. The dark eye stands out against the white background. The dark hand in the wing is useful as well. Nothing else looks quite like this.
There are a lot of sandpipers but once you get to know them and their distribution, the field can be narrowed fairly easily.
BTW, when you post an ID question like this, please provide the date and location- that information can often be very useful.
Last edited by John Chardine; 02-02-2013 at 09:16 AM.