This evening, when I reviewed my photos taken yesterday (Sunday, August 15,
2015) at the Port Isabel Reservoir I discovered in one of them a STILT
SANDPIPER, a species not present in my earlier report of species identified
on site. This makes a total of 15 shorebird species that were present at
that site yesterday and a total of 19 shorebird species found yesterday
across the three site that were visited.
This incident once again underscores the value of taking of photos. There
was large-scale shorebird migration yesterday, and we slipped up and missed
this seemingly lone Stilt Sandpiper. I am fortunate to have gotten a photo
that showed it in a nice, squarely side-on view, revealing important
tell-tale markings and characteristic bill shape and length (as well as
comparative size relative to other species). My wife and I had been
captivated by the striking beauty of the retained breeding plumage of the
substantial groups of Long-billed Dowitchers and Black-bellied Plovers.
Those species cooperatively posed close together, and I took several photos
to be sure I captured in the same photo these two very different brands of
breeding-plumage beauty. Glad to say, the Stilt Sandpiper slipped unnoticed
into one of them, providing a nice surprise.
Wishing everyone the best of fall migration birding,
Rex Stanford (Weslaco),
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