ML118604561

Age

Not specified

Sex

Not specified

Observation details

Continuing ***MEGA. Second CA state record, first Marin record. However, there is a previous Marin record on 9/9/96 that was not accepted by the CBRC, but is considered credible by many. Originally found by M. Sawyer and M. Martucci on 10/8/18. As I made my way to the main lagoon, I noticed 10-12 people standing at the NW edge of the lagoon. I made my way towards them, and first spotted the bird as I looked back and scanned in an ESE direction. The bird was actively foraging with many SNPL, and loosely associating with two SEPL nearby. The bird stayed near the water's edge and later flew a little further east, before making its way back to the area where we were standing. The bird then settled down in a depression in the sand near the many SNPL for 10-15 minutes. After getting good looks, the crowd of people left and B. Atwood and I obtained good photos as the bird walked even closer to us before eventually flying off and over the dune/berm that separates the lagoon and the ocean. However, to our surprise the bird called 4-5 times right before it took off and headed towards the beach. Luckily, Bob was recording and got audio of the bird calling! The bird can be heard calling at the following approximate marks: 0:13, 0:16, 0:20, 0:26, and 0:32 in the first recording (ML118605541). The bird calls at the following approximate marks: 0:04, 0:07, 0:11, and 0:14 in the second audio clip (ML118625371). The second clip is essentially the first clip minus us talking and with the volume increased. In comparing this recording(s) to recordings of CRPL on xeno-canto, the bird seems to be a great match for CRPL. Please forgive our excitement as the bird calls, as well as my camera shutter noise in the background. Features that support Common Ringed Plover are as follows: The bird was the only bird among the other plovers that was in alternate plumage. In this plumage the bird had a dark black mask where the black extends to the gape. A wide black band extended across the front of crown, and the white below the black band in the forehead reaches the bird's eye. The bird also had a prominent white supercilium which extends past and slightly behind the eye, seen well in many of the photos. The bill was thinner and longer than that of SEPL and was mostly black with an orange base. The bird lacked a yellow orbital ring, which would be expected of SEPL in alternate. CRPL had a very thick, dark breast-band that "bulged" on the sides of the breast and was more prominent and wider than SEPL. Orange legs. Primary projection slightly past the tail. The bird's call, which is featured in the audio below, is also much different than SEPL and is more of a soft, plaintive, disyllabic "poo-eep" or "tu-weep." *CBRC Accepted Record #2018-182

Technical information

Model

DMC-FZ2500

ISO

125

Focal length

176 mm

Flash

Flash did not fire, auto

f-stop

f/7.1

Shutter speed

1/160 sec

Dimensions

1499 pixels x 998 pixels

Original file size

477.78 KB