FreeLists / va-bird / [va-bird] Re: Fairfax/Arlington County birds - 11/9

["Cliff Otto" <317tcw@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Andy,

Given that you were able to compare the bird's size to that of a known 
species (Snipe) and found it smaller would seem to rule out Dowitcher; 
however, Sibley lists the Stilt and the Dunlin as being the same size, so 
that criterion cannot be used to distinguish between the two.

I did not notice the body aspect while feeding that you mentioned, only 
the "sewing machine" motion. This isn't to say it did not exist as you 
report, just that it escaped my notice.

You also mention that, "I was expecting a bird with a prominent "eyebrow" 
and a noticeable scalloped pattern on it's back."

The suggestion that I referred to receiving off-list in my earlier post 
cited the lack of supercilium, but Sibley does not show that much 
difference between the appearance of the non-breeding version of the two 
birds. On the other had, the pictures in the Audubon field guide do show 
a pronounced difference and their picture of the Dunlin in winter plumage 
does look much more like what we saw.

I hope some other witnesses can chime in with their observations, but I 
now am inclined to follow your analysis. Thanks for adding the additional 
information.

Cliff Otto
Alexandria

Date: Sun, 9 Nov 2003 17:37:44 -0500
>Hi Cliff,
>
>First, I want to make clear that I, too, am far from being
>an expert regarding these shorebirds. I have yet to see a
>Stilt Sandpiper, have seen only a few Dunlin, all in
>breeding plumage, and have seen few dowitchers as well.
>
>Having said that, and having just looked at the photo you
>posted yesterday, I can say that your photo looks exactly
>like the bird that I and others saw today (I had started to
>download the image yesterday but it was taking too long and
>I was tired, so I didn't look at it.). The notes I took
>match your photo as well, so I'd be willing to bet we both
>saw the same individual bird.
>
>My observation today differed from yours in that I never did
>see the bird's legs. However, I did note two other things.
>First, it was in the company of 3 snipe, so a size
>comparison was possible. The bird in question was slightly
>smaller than the snipe. Second, when it was feeding, I
>noticed that it held it's body level, as opposed to tilting
>it's tail upward (as the Stilt Sandpiper is depicted in the
>Sibley guide).
>
>The possibility of it being a dowitcher was brought up today
>as well. According to my field guides, though, a dowitcher
>would have been at least as big as the snipe, maybe bigger,
>and would have had a lighter colored bill, a prominent
>"eyebrow" and some other differences in plumage.
>
>I tried really, really hard to turn this bird into my life
>Stilt Sandpiper, but just couldn't do it with any certainty.
>Based on what I had read last night when I was reading up on
>the Stilt, I was expecting a bird with a prominent "eyebrow"
>and a noticeable scalloped pattern on it's back. I planned
>to withold ID'ing the bird until I could get home and
>compare my notes with my field guides. Fortunately, a nice
>guy with a nice scope showed up and confidently ID'd it as a
>Dunlin. When I came home and consulted my guides, I believed
>him to be correct (I believed him when he ID'd it too(!),
>but I always like to check things out myself). I think the
>photo fits Dunlin as well, now that I've had time to study
>it.
>
>So, I think we both came close to seeing a Stilt Sandpiper,
>but will have to "settle" for a Dunlin.
>
>Of course, if anyone with more expertise wants to tell me
>this is a Stilt (and make a good case for it), I'd be happy
>to check it off my list....
>
>Still Stiltless,
>
>Andy Rabin Reston, VA andyrabin@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
>
>
>
>
>----- Original Message -----From: "Cliff Otto"
><317tcw@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> To: <va-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> Sent:
>Sunday, November 09, 2003 3:12 PM Subject: [va-bird] Re:
>Fairfax/Arlington County birds - 11/9
>
>
>>>Andy Rabin wrote on Sun, 9 Nov 2003 14:14:49 -0500:
>>>
>>>The last stop of the morning was at Huntley Meadows in
>>>search of the Stilt Sandpiper reported yesterday. Strike
>>>two!
>>
>>I was asked off-list whether the bird I reported as a Stilt
>>Sandpiper might not have been a Dunlin instead. There were
>>*many* birders who observed this bird through binoculars and
>>spotting scopes and the argument centered around whether the
>>bird was a stilt or a dowitcher.
>>
>>Before I saw the bird, I heard its feeding action described
>>as "sewing machine"-like, and when I actually saw it, I
>>thought it a most accurate description. I think this was the
>>primary reason no one thought of calling it a Dunlin. It was
>>the consensus that the droop at the end of the bill was the
>>telling point between stilt and dowitcher. Also, one person
>>clsims to have seen a part of its leg and that it was
>>yellow.
>>
>>The question is whether your Dunlin was actually the Stilt
>>Sandpiper, or whether our Stilt Sandpiper was actually a
>>Dunlin, or whether we each saw the bird we identified. I
>>certainly am not presenting myself as any authority on the
>>identification of birds and am willing to bow to superior
>>knowledge for the sake of accuracy.
>>
>>Cliff Otto Alexandria, VA


You are subscribed to VA-BIRD. To post to this mailing list, simply send email 
to va-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx To unsubscribe, send email to
va-bird-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with 'unsubscribe' in the Subject field.