All,
Mr. Merritt was just kind enough to write me offline to let me know
that my "molt terminology is terribly confused." I am sure that this
is indeed the case, so I want to apologize to all concerned for
having mislead each of you.
Paul Kane
Falls Church, VA
On Aug 25, 2006, at 10:25 PM, Alexander Merritt wrote:
Your molt terminology is terribly confused.
On 8/25/06, Paul Kane <pmkane@xxxxxxx> wrote:
All,
Twenty-five mostly veteran birders took a crack at my "Name The
Peeps" inquiry. Thanx much for chipping in.
The news is mixed. On the plus side, no one voted for Purple
Sandpiper, so the money you all spent on your optics and field guides
has not been entirely wasted. Not yet anyway.
On the other hand: one veteran birder I know very well voted for
"none of the above, either because of the poor quality of the
digiscope or because he started drinking way to early today. There
wasn't anything wrong with the digiscope.
The early voting was overwhelmingly for Juv Western Sandpiper, which
ultimately received 10 votes.
Later in the day, respondents were voting overwhelmingly for
Semipalmated Sandpiper. Of the 13 votes ultimately cast for
Semipalmated, 11 of these were for Juv Semiplamated. 1 vote for
Semipalmated in basic plumage was received, and 1 vote for
semipalmated transitioning from breeding to basic plumage was cast.
A veteran birder voting for Juv Western responded this way today:
"Considering the crisp feather edging, the upper scapulars darker
than the lower, and the bill thicker at the base than the tip,
probably D."
A veteran birder voting for Juv Semipalmated responded this way
today: "To me, your birds (especially the one in the middle) look
just like Sibley's painting of juvenile Semipalmated Sandpiper. To
me, the bill is too short and stout for most Western Sandpipers. Yes,
the shoulders look rusty, but I think they are within range of
variation for juvenile Semipal."
Paul Kane
Falls Church, VA
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