Tom Pendleton, Andrew Clem and I spent an hour at Leonard's Pond in southern
Rockingham County at midmorning. The juvenile BAIRD'S SANDPIPER first noted
late last week by Allen Larner is still present. Other shorebirds seen
included 3 Killdeer, 4 Solitary Sandpipers, 2 Spotted Sandpipers, 2
Semipalmated
Sandpipers and 9 Least Sandpipers (yesterday afternoon Tom saw only four
Leasts). A female Wood Duck and 7 Mallards were also at the pond's edge.
Swallows seen over the pond were almost all Tree Swallows, with singleton Barn
and
Northern Rough-wings also present.
The Baird's is reminiscent of last autumn's individual of that species which
remained at Leonard's Pond for several weeks, and which was also in juvenile
plumage. Look for a peep that is much sandier colored than the other peeps
present, has wingtips clearly longer than the tail tip, and whose upper
middle back is marked by very fine scaling (to see that, it helps to have a
scope). The legs are blackish. The sandy or buffy band across the chest is
particularly noticeable. Most of the time the Baird's was picking food off
the top
of the mud while the Leasts present were jabbing their bills down in it; but
the Baird's also went into the water to feed, just off the edge of the land,
part of the time.
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