VA BIRDers,
I viewed the winter plumaged Dunlin at Huntley Meadows at about noon today. A
fine November bird for our area, esp. given the poor shorebird showing this
autumn! Identification was made by the nearly featureless gray back (Stilt
would show some slight gray patterning; dowitchers have patterning this time of
year), the slight dusky gray-ish brown upper breast (Stilt would show some
slight barring along breast and flanks; dows would show more gray coloration),
size (smaller than a Wilson's Snipe), lack of significant, white supercillium
(quite obvious in Stilt; also present in dows), and posture/feeding style of a
chunky bird bent over (Stilts stand tall in the water, dows are big oblate
birds that need not lean over much to use their long probing bills).
Identification can be made by the posted photo, which is very good.
Kurt Gaskill
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