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« Smithsonian Field Guide to the Birds of North America | Main | Carnivalia »
Topic Categories: Image of the Day
Posted on: September 12, 2008 2:59 PM, by "GrrlScientist"
tags: Stilt Sandpipers, Calidris himantopus, birds, nature, Image of the Day
[Mystery birds] Juvenile Stilt Sandpipers, Calidris himantopus, photographed at Texas City Dike, Texas. [I will identify these birds for you tomorrow].
Image: Joseph Kennedy, 3 September 2008 [larger view].
Nikon D200, Kowa 883 telescope TSN-PZ camera eyepiece 1/640s f/8.0 at 1000.0mm iso400.
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Comments
Look like juvenile Stilt Sandpipers to me, though the legs aren't nearly as greeny-yellow as the pic in the book.
Posted by: Hilary | September 12, 2008 3:37 PM
I'm definitely shaky on my shorebirds but I'll go out on a stilt here and suggest that maybe it's a juvenile Stilt Sandpiper? Based on the thick black bill, white marking across head, yellow legs...don't know if it's just shadow making the legs look black with yellow feet, or if I should just go stick my head in the sand as a peep-peeper!
Posted by: CW | September 12, 2008 3:39 PM
A pair of Stilt Sandpipers casually having a chat (not of the yellow breasted kind). Nice long legs and an aristocratic down curved bill.
Posted by: Chazz Hesselein | September 12, 2008 3:45 PM
That's a sandpiper.
http://montereybay.com/creagrus/sandpipers.html
Posted by: Darren | September 12, 2008 3:50 PM
Juvenile Stilt Sandpiper.
The overall look is bland with no distinguishing color pattern other than the lack of sharp delineation between the streaked upper chest and solid belly. And the legs are dirty yellow, sort of anyway. So we have a long necked wader with a stout medium-long bill that turns down slightly. The white eye line is too common to be much help. Keying on the bill shape results in Stilt, the pattern say's juvenile (see Sibley 190). And Sibley also accounts for the dirty legs: "It wades in sheltered muddy pools..."
Posted by: BobK | September 12, 2008 4:01 PM
Looks like a Ruff to me thanks for this it keeps me on my (bird) toes
Posted by: birdi | September 12, 2008 4:29 PM
A Stilt sandpiper. The bill is too heavy and down turned at tip to be yellowlegs.
Posted by: Ross Murphy | September 12, 2008 7:09 PM
A Stilt sandpiper. The bill is too heavy and down turned at tip to be yellowlegs.
Posted by: Ross Murphy | September 12, 2008 7:12 PM
Looks like two juvenile Stilt Sandpipers to me. Slight droop on medium sized bill and yellowish legs separate this (among other things) from yellowlegs and dowitchers. Just goes to show what good digiscoping can do!
Posted by: Jim Danzenbaker | September 13, 2008 9:11 AM