[Bristol-Birds] S. Holston Lake - Possible Baird's Sandpiper

Musick's Campground - S. Holston Lake, Sullivan Co., TN
April 27, 2008
9:00am - 10:15am
John Moyle mentioned in his earlier report that we saw another Sandpiper Species with the Sanderling, but that it flew off before we could ID it. However shortly after John drove off, the Sanderling and its unknown companion landed nearby. I spent 20 minutes looking at this bird making sure of my ID. Taking everything into consideration I believe that this bird was a Baird's Sandpiper.
Thanks to Rick Knight's The Birds of Northeast Tennessee I realize that this would be a very unlikely sighting, so let me present my case. 

1. The flight feathers extended past the tail feathers.
2. The Bill was very black from base to tip, like the Sanderling.
3. The legs were black.
4. Similar size as the Sanderling
5. My first impression was Pectoral SP because of the breast markings, but they seemed to end higher up. A google search of Baird's SP photos revealed a few that looked the same on the breast, such as the photo at this address (sorry I didn't take any photographs). 

http://www.flickr.com/photos/deinandra/1281841355/
6. The bird also vocalized once when taking flight. I remember it as a high pitched trill. Using the song samples on the Cornell site, the vocalizations were not at all like a Pectoral SP, but very similar to a Baird's SP.
This would be a lifer for me, but after lots of work I feel confident of the ID. 
David Hunt
Gray, Washington Co., TN

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