Shorebird ID Quiz #1

[Arthur Morris]

General principles: in fall (which starts in early July for shorebirds), if the pattern of the upperparts' feathers is splotchy the bird is surely a fading, molting adult. Beginning rarely in very late July, more commonly in mid- to late August, and in some species, in late September or early October, if the pattern of the upperparts' feathers is even and neat and consists of feathers with crisp edgings, the bird is a juvenile. (Note: these feather edgings wear quickly and the birds lose their fresh, crisp appearance.

That said, everyone should be able to age this bird easily.

So please, age the bird and then try to identify it as to species. Differing opinions add to the fun! Ooops, almost forgot: Mecox Bay, Long Island, NY on 2 OCT.

[denise ippolito]

I'm going to guess a Baird's Sandpiper- Most Baird's Sandpipers recorded in eastern North America during the fall are juveniles. I'm probably wrong but I figure I will learn alot from trying so here goes-

[Joerg Rockenberger]

Going by Sibley's I narrowed it down to Baird's or White-Rumped Juvenile. Not convinced though as the latter should show a reddish base of the bill whereas the bill seems to be a bit long for Baird's.

And please be gentle - total novice at this. :)

JR

[Arthur Morris]

I'm going to guess a Baird's Sandpiper- Most Baird's Sandpipers recorded in eastern North America during the fall are juveniles. I'm probably wrong but I figure I will learn alot from trying so here goes-

Hi Denise, Why do you think it is a juvenile? (Tell me about the bird) And why do you think that it is a Baird's?

[Arthur Morris]

Going by Sibley's I narrowed it down to Baird's or White-Rumped Juvenile. Not convinced though as the latter should show a reddish base of the bill whereas the bill seems to be a bit long for Baird's. And please be gentle - total novice at this. :) JR

How did you narrow it down to Baird's or White-rumped?

[denise ippolito]

Hi Denise, Why do you think it is a juvenile? (Tell me about the bird) And why do you think that it is a Baird's?

Artie, I'm thinking juvenile because of the place and date. I also think the feathers are a bit scaly. The light brown breast also. BUT I thought it might be a Pectoral Sandpiper juvenile-because of the bill size and slight yellowing of the legs. This is HARD!

[Joerg Rockenberger]

How did you narrow it down to Baird's or White-rumped?

Simply by a process of elimination comparing the image to the pictures of Juvis (made the assumption based on time of year and crisp feathers) in the Sibley. Starting with the easy features (leg and bill color, bill length and shape (bent?)) and then looking for obvious mismatches in the plumage. At that point I was left with Baird's and White Rumped.

Looking at it again I am leaning towards Bairds. Again, the lack of a reddish base (unless of course it's covered by mud) seems to suggest that it's not a white-rumped. Also, there seems to be somewhat of a white eye-ring in the Baird's which is lacking in the White-Rumped pic in the Sibley. Also, the scaling on the back (smaller and "denser") might fit the Baird's better.

But what do I know - other than that I am surely making a fool out of my selves here... Well, it's fun. JR

[Phil Battley]

The long wings should make it one of those two species, but having seen neither and having all my ID books at works I'm going in blindly now. The fineness and straightness of the bill matches Bairds more than White-rumped from a few photos I pulled up now.

Phil

[Arthur Morris]

Artie, I'm thinking juvenile because of the place and date. I also think the feathers are a bit scaly. The light brown breast also. BUT I thought it might be a Pectoral Sandpiper juvenile-because of the bill size and slight yellowing of the legs. This is HARD!

Hi Again Denise, If you go by place and date it could be a Semipalmated Sandpiper, a Least Sandpiper, and several others as well. In my first post here I wrote:

General principles: in fall (which starts in early July for shorebirds), if the pattern of the upperparts' feathers is splotchy the bird is surely a fading, molting adult. Beginning rarely in very late July, more commonly in mid- to late August, and in some species, in late September or early October, if the pattern of the upperparts' feathers is even and neat and consists of feathers with crisp edgings, the bird is a juvenile. (Note: these feather edgings wear quickly and the birds lose their fresh, crisp appearance.

So, the first question is: do the upperparts' feathers on the bird in Pane 1 have a splotchy, uneven pattern or an even, consistent pattern?

Hint: the image posted here shows two birds with splotchy patterns, different feathers mixed together.

[Arthur Morris]

The long wings should make it one of those two species, but having seen neither and having all my ID books at works I'm going in blindly now. The fineness and straightness of the bill matches Bairds more than White-rumped from a few photos I pulled up now. Phil

Phil has hit on the most important point here: our bird has very long wings with the wings extending well past the end of the tail (though we cannot see the tail here). Compare this bird with any of the Semipalmated Sandpiper images either in this forum or in Avian. The semis are much stubbier, shorter-winged birds (and the same is true of leasts and Westerns. Of the regularly occurring North American peeps (small sandpipers) only Baird's and White-rumpeds have the wings extending well past the tail.

Now I just need someone to tell me if the bird in Pane 1 is and adult or a juvenile and why :) and then we can cut to the chase.

[denise ippolito]

Juvenile Greater Yellowlegs-final answer.

[Arthur Morris]

To what question???????????????????????????????????????

[denise ippolito]

To what question???????????????????????????????????????

To your original ID question! I'm trying here!!!!!!:) Baird's is the one I feel is correct but your last post looks more like Yellowlegs. So now I am unsure.

To answer your second question-sorry. I would say juvenile based on the even and non splotchy feathers.

[Arthur Morris]

To your original ID question! I'm trying here!!!!!!:) Baird's is the one I feel is correct but your last post looks more like Yellowlegs. So now I am unsure.

To answer your second question-sorry. I would say juvenile based on the even and non splotchy feathers.

Yes. The bird in Pane 1 is a juvenile for the reason you state immediately above. So you were right from the get-go. I was just trying to get you to see that the big indicator for Baird's are the long wings as Phil noted.

Now, let's take one step at a time. Look at the bird in Pane 9. Forget about species. Do the upperparts' feathers look as if they have a consistent even pattern or are they mixed and splotchy?

It's a simple question so don't get side-tracked. :)

[denise ippolito]

Mixed and splotchy.

[Arthur Morris]

Good. And it is a yellowlegs. I wanted to show the difference between mixed and splotchy (adult) in Pane 9 and even and consistent (juvenile) in Pane 1.

Now that we know both of the birds in Pane 9 are yellowlegs, the question is which one. And above, you got the species right: Greater Yellowlegs. The relatively long bill, the upturned bill (more obvious in the rear bird), and the splotches and chevrons on the breast all point to greater.

Not so hard

[denise ippolito]

I'm singin' in Jersey!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:)

[Arthur Morris]

Last note on juvenile Baird's versus juvenile White-rumped. Bairds has a buffy breast and face, a brownish crown, and not much of an eye line. White-rumped in fresh plumage has a reddish crown and a white eye-line. In all juvenile plumages it features a streaked gray breast, a greyish face, and most importantly, a gray hind neck that contrasts markedly with the cap.

I had hope to find a juvenile white-rumped when I was on Long Island last week as they are late in arriving but alas, there were few birds at JBWR.

Thanks all for playing. More to come.

[Ilija Dukovski]

Great, I missed all the fun. Waiting for more...

[Arthur Morris]

I was wondering where you had been!

[Ilija Dukovski]

I was wondering where you had been!

Very busy these days. No worry, there are plenty of confusing shorebirds to have fun with :)
I like the idea of an ID quiz. Can't wait to learn...

[Dave Brown]

Hi All,

Ageing bird in Pane #1

Juv shorebirds generally have pale fringed feathers,namely scapulars and wing coverts. The pattern is generally consistent throught.Adult shorebirds in fall are usually have a somewhat more blotchy and worn appearance,with feathers lacking neat white,buff or rufous edges characeristic of juv plumaged birds. This is because they're feathers are worn after spring migration,raising broods and then partial fall migrations,with some birds even waitng until they reach their wintering grounds to moult to fall (basic) plumage. As Artie points out ageing a shorebird is a critcal first step in it`s identification- the same holds true and is even perhaps more important in gull identification. Having said all of that,ageing this bird as a juvenile becomes straightforward. Next we have to narrow this bird down to species.

It should be relatively apparent that we are dealing with a Calidrid(genus) or peep(name used to describe small shorebirds) and not one of the larger shorebirds such as Yellowlegs,Godwits etc. Knowing that we narrow our possabilities significantly. I`ll forget the possability of Asian or European vagrants for the purposes of this discussion. So that leaves Red Knot, Stilt Sandpiper, Pectoral Sandpiper,Least Sandpiper,Dunlin, Semipalmated Sandpiper,Western Sandpiper,White-rumped and Bairds Sandpiper.

Moving away from plumage characteristics and focusing on structure and bare parts, we can narrow our possabilities even further. There are several critical areas to focus on here. Bill length and coloration,leg length and coloration, overall shape including primary projection(length of wings in relation ot the tail e.g. slim attenuated vs chunky etc.

Looking at this birds legs they are clearly black. You have to be careful as sometimes shorebirds legs can become stained and appear either lighter or darker than they really are.For the purposes of this discussion lets assume that isn`t a possability and say this bird has black legs. We can now eliminate the first four species in the above list as they all have yellow legs,some have other features such as extememely long bills etc that eliminate them as well, e.g. Stilt Sandpiper. This leaves Semipalmated, Western, Dunlin,White- rumped sandpiper and Baird`s Sandpiper.

Looking at details of the bill and body shape will help us now identify this bird. The bill is pretty long and very fine tipped and the bird eventhough standing upright, it appears slim,attenuated and very long winged( notice the wing tips are even crossed). Dunlin has wings that do not extend beyond the tail, but has a much longer bill that is very downcurved- so cross that one out. Semipalmated and Western are also short winged stocky birds, with wings that do not extend beyond the tail( maybe ever so slightly in Sami sand) often giving a bunched appearance towards the back end of the bird as the tertials,wing tips and tail pretty much all terminate at the same point.The bill is also wrong for obth of these species.Too long and fine tipped for Semi Sand and ok in length for Western,but perhaps not broad enough at the base and not at all drooped at the tip. Also Westen the tips of Westerns bills look a little flatted,like someone squat the tip of their bill between their thumb and index finger.

Moving on, we are left with two species,White-rumped Sandpiper and Bairds Sandpiper, a classic shorebird identification challenge. Both have black legs and long wings that extend beyond the tail and can cross at the tips. However, Bairds tends to have a much finer bill,slimmer appearance overall, much buffier in overall coloration,less distinct supercilium and although not helpful here,that dont have a white rump. This bird has a very fine tipped bill and is very buffy in general appearance. It has a relatively distinct supercilium,but it`s buffy and not white contrasting against a grey head as in White-rumped. There is one further feature of the bill that can reliably distinguish these two species.White-rumped Sandpiper has a diagnostic reddish base to the bill,where it meets the mouth.In my experience this is NEVER seen in Baird`s or any other North American Calidrid that your likely to confuse with a Baird`s Sandpiper.

So i guess that pretty much does it..this is a juvenile Baird`s Sandpiper. There are even furthern differences that I never went into.It might be a good idea to post a photo of a juvenile White-rump to illustrate the differences. .If your struggling with identifying shorebirds nothing beats experience....and a guide specifically dedicated to shorebird identification is crucial for those serious about shorebird identification. If you ask Artie,he might be able to recommend a good one for you:) I got in on this late,sorry if all of this has been covered already and sorry for being so long winded.

Dave Brown

[Arthur Morris]

Thanks for the excellent treatise Dave. While much of what you wrote above might have been cut and pasted from "Shorebirds; Beautiful Beachcombers," I referred to and quoted both "Shorebirds" and "The Shorebird Guide" several times in this post alone. My book is recommended as a great starting place for those interested in shorebirds; the principles that are clearly stated there lay the groundwork for those wishing to take their knowledge to the next level with either or both of the other books mentioned above.

[Arthur Morris]

ps: beginners could easily confuse pectorals--which often have some orangish areas on the bill or the base of the bill, with Baird's. When I was searching for my first Baird's I tried to make many semi sands into Baird's. Then when I saw that buffy bird and those long wings I wondered why I had had so much trouble.

pps: Juvenile White-rumped Sandpiper is a very hard bird to find in the N.E. I have seen probably less than a handful at JBWR. I photographed two different individuals there more than 20 years ago on film. Have not seen one since. In fact, the photo of juvie white-rumped in "The Shorebird Guide" is mine--it is of the duller of the two birds. But sorry, no film scanner here....

If you have seen or photographed a juvenile white-rumped in the past decade, please share it with us here.

[Arthur Morris]

Very busy these days. No worry, there are plenty of confusing shorebirds to have fun with :) I like the idea of an ID quiz. Can't wait to learn...

I am pretty sure that you will be doing more than learning....

[Dave Brown]

Artie,

Juvenile White-rumped Sandpiper is possibly our commonest shorebird after October 1st. Adults move through in September and then the juvs show up in October. Today for example I saw about 100 without really looking for them.There have been reports from Northern Newfoundland this week of flocks of over 200 WRSA, comprised of mostly juvs.They are a nice looking bird. I'm pretty sure I have some images but they are trapped on my desktop that recently quite working.It's only a simple issue with the power button so I expect to have it up and running again in a few days.When I can I'll post a couple of images.

Dave Brown

PS: I seem ot have injured my knee today(hopefully not too bad) but will make an effort to get good photos of juvie WRSA for posting here.

[Juan Carlos Vindas]

So Arthur, at the end, which is this bird?

[Joerg Rockenberger]

Artie,

unlike Dave Brown you didn't seem to assign any significance to the expected reddish bill base of White-Rumped vs Baird's. Why? Just trying to understand. Thanks, JR

[Arthur Morris]

Artie,

Juvenile White-rumped Sandpiper is possibly our commonest shorebird after October 1st. Adults move through in September and then the juvs show up in October. Today for example I saw about 100 without really looking for them.There have been reports from Northern Newfoundland this week of flocks of over 200 WRSA, comprised of mostly juvs.They are a nice looking bird. I'm pretty sure I have some images but they are trapped on my desktop that recently quite working.It's only a simple issue with the power button so I expect to have it up and running again in a few days.When I can I'll post a couple of images.

Dave Brown

PS: I seem ot have injured my knee today(hopefully not too bad) but will make an effort to get good photos of juvie WRSA for posting here.

Get to work! I wanna see some pix! Good luck with the knee. Do you also get juvie Hudsonian Godwits along with the juvie long-billeds?

[Arthur Morris]

Artie, unlike Dave Brown you didn't seem to assign any significance to the expected reddish bill base of White-Rumped vs Baird's. Why? Just trying to understand. Thanks, JR

The orangish mark on the base of the bill of WRSA is often less prominent in juvies than in adutls, and in all ages is easily obscured by mud. Once you know that you are dealing with a juvie and that the bird has the long wings, Baird's is buffy and has only brown tones while white-rumpeds are much greyer overall and have the scaps edged neatly in rufous (remisincent of Western Sandpiper). For experienced observers separating the two is pretty much instantaneous.

[Joerg Rockenberger]

Thanks. JR

[Arthur Morris]

So Arthur, at the end, which is this bird?

As stated above several times, it is a Baird's Sandpiper in juvenal plumage.

[Juan Carlos Vindas]

Thanks Arthur, I red it all but miss it.

[Dave Brown]

Hey Artie,

Hudsonian Godwit is rare but annual in Newfoundland. It usually takes some effort and driving if you want to see one. If you are going to see one it will most likely happen in the last week of September or 1st half of October.

Dave Brown

PS: were you also referring to juv Long-billed Dowitcher? If so that is seemingly rarer than it should be in Newfoundland.There is only a single record from October of 2006,following the passage of Hurrican Wilma.

[Arthur Morris]

Thanks Arthur, I red it all but miss it.

JC, You are forgiven, but just this once :) :) :)

[Arthur Morris]

Hey Artie,

Hudsonian Godwit is rare but annual in Newfoundland. It usually takes some effort and driving if you want to see one. If you are going to see one it will most likely happen in the last week of September or 1st half of October.

Dave Brown

PS: were you also referring to juv Long-billed Dowitcher? If so that is seemingly rarer than it should be in Newfoundland.There is only a single record from October of 2006,following the passage of Hurrican Wilma.

Hi Dan, When I wrote, "Do you also get juvie Hudsonian Godwits along with the juvie long-billeds?" I meant to write, "Do you also get juvie Hudsonian Godwits and juvie long-billeds along with the juvie white-rumpeds?

At JBWR we had adult HUGOs from mid July all the way through to November (altnough sporadically). Juveniles of all three species arrived in very late September or early October in small to middling (LBDOW) numbers.

[Juan Carlos Vindas]

JC, You are forgiven, but just this once :) :) :)

:):D Good to know that!!!