Dunlin

[William Dickson]

Canon 1DX
f/4 500mm
f/6.3
1/2500
ISO 800

This is another from my time on the Isle of Mull. Captured late evening.

Will

[Mike Hitchen]

A nice low angle on this William with just enough turn on the head.

[Isaac Grant]

I like the nice low angle and the clean water background you have here on this Little Stint (not a Dunlin). I like the nice whites you have. The colors look a bit washed out to me and if mine I would lower the mid tones a bit to bring back a bit more deep color. Shadow on the belly is a bit harsh.

[William Dickson]

Thanks for that Isaac, great news, I have never seen a Little Stint before,as they are very rare in Scotland.

Will

[Isaac Grant]

Well then congrats. This bird has all the marks of a Little Stint that is molting into breeding plumage. A reddish unmarked face, the lack of the dark streaks and necklace that a breeding plumaged red-necked would have. Red-necked does not have the red continuing onto the tertials and primaries like this bird does either. It is getting the deep rufous color on all of the wing feathers. That combined with the lack of a dark ear patch, streaking on the flanks and a bold eye line rule out a vagrant Semi-palmated. So I see nothing wrong for Little Stint. Dunlin would be much larger with a black belly and a long decurved bill. Legs are longer as well. Plus has a very different tone to the color of the red and is more chestnut.

[William Dickson]

Lovely description. Here is a repost, same bird, from a flock of 8, different time and lighting, and followed your advice. What do you think

Will

[Isaac Grant]

Colors look better but I was also wrong. The birds are Sanderling. Always easy to get tricked from a single photo at an off angle. Also to judge size with nothing to compare it to. Little Stint would have an all white threat and different pattern. Also this is not the same bird. This one is much more advanced into breeding plumage.

[Bob Smith]

I like the colours on both birds William but the 2nd one has a better head angle for me. I also like the added touch of the wavelets in #2.

[William Dickson]

Thanks for the comments guys, much appreciated and learned from.

Will

[Arthur Morris]

Pane #1; date? artie

[William Dickson]

Pane #1; date? artie

22nd May, 2017

Will

[Arthur Morris]

22nd May, 2017

Will

Thanks. I am gonna go a bit out on a limb here and state that my gut feeling is that both birds are Sanderlings. Pane #1 the bird is molting into breeding plumage.I hope that I am wrong :)

with love, artie

[William Dickson]

Thanks for that Arthur. I have been doing some research myself, and I think you are correct.

Will

[Isaac Grant]

They are both 100% Sanderlings. I was just thrown by that first pic but after you posted the second it was obvious. Not sure why that one threw me so much but it did.