I struggle with shorebirds, any help identifying this bird would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.
I struggle with shorebirds, any help identifying this bird would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.
Joe Przybyla
"Sometimes I do get to places just as God is ready to have somebody click the shutter"... Ansel Adams
www.amazinglight.smugmug.com
Willet. Looks like the western race to me.
Thanks Paul, I thought it might be a Willet. The normal color here is more grey in the plumage and larger. Maybe a juvenile?
Joe Przybyla
"Sometimes I do get to places just as God is ready to have somebody click the shutter"... Ansel Adams
www.amazinglight.smugmug.com
Nope. This bird is an adult. Juvs don't have the barring on the underparts and the wing feathers on the upperparts have some white edging or spotting on the edges. You can clearly see that if you go to the following BirdFellow link and look at ID photos 23 and 24.
http://www.birdfellow.com/birds/will...mata#/idPhotos
These pale edges occur on a lot of juvenile shorebirds. Being pale, they tend to wear off faster so their feathers can look very raggedy before they molt out that plumage. Your bird looks like it has nice clean feathers, without signs of a lot of wear and tear on them.
For future reference, any time you post a shorebird shot (and probably any bird shot) you should include the date it was taken. If this photo was shot in November, I'd be very confused by this plumage since it's way to clean for an adult at that season. If it was taken last week I'd tell you that there shouldn't be any birds left in juvenile plumage unless its feathers are pretty worn to crap (ornithological term). Time of year can be a very important clue when doing shorebird ID.
Hi Paul, after looking at the link in birdfellow.com I have to agree. I should have provided the date and location that the image was captured. It was March 31st this year at Ft. Desoto, Pinellas County, Florida. Thanks for your help, truly appreciated.
Joe Przybyla
"Sometimes I do get to places just as God is ready to have somebody click the shutter"... Ansel Adams
www.amazinglight.smugmug.com