ML256146141

Age

Not specified

Sex

Not specified

Observation details

Classified as Little Stint instead of Little/Red-necked to ensure the alert goes out. Pending Review. Pond C. Seen at 7:55 AM, eventually flushed by a peregrine, and I could not relocate. All photos of bird taken were sent to reviewers, which were then passed to others. Available upon request. Full description soon. Future comment: This bird was accepted by the California Birds Records Committee as the second Orange Country record for Little Stint CRBC #2020-076. Description sent to CRBC was as follows: "This bird was observed in the morning of August 18, 2020 at the Irvine Ranch and Water District San Joaquin Marsh and Wildlife Sanctuary in Irvine, Orange County, CA. This bird was initially observed at 7:56 AM and only continued through 8:05 AM when it was flushed by a Peregrine Falcon. Attempts to relocate the bird for the next 30 minutes were unsuccessful. After reporting the bird, many additional birders came to look, but the bird was not relocated. Please note that the metadata on my camera appeared to reset the clock mid-observation, so some image files have the incorrect hour listed (one hour earlier). The bird was observed in a shallow pond, known as "Pond C". Upon arrival, I was immediately drawn to a small sandpiper showing extensive rufous coloration on the head and neck. The bird was small, comparably to the numerous Western Sandpipers nearby. The black bill was small and slender. Extensive rust/rufous was present on the head, nape, throat, and top of breast. The base and sides of throat and upper breast were finely streaked. The head showed a white supercilium (especially behind the eye), a slightly darker eye line, and a dark, streaked crown. The underparts were white with no streaking. The back was highly pattered with dark brown/black, buff, and some white. In the field, the legs appeared to be dark, but they were regularly covered in mud (photo review showed black legs). The bird was photographed extensively during the short time in which I observed it. The bird was observed at ~30 yards. I initially reported the bird as a Red-necked Stint to the Orange County eBird reviewers (Ryan Winkleman, Jeff Bray). They circulated photos to select individuals (I am unsure of the people whom they reached out to), and the general consensus of those individuals was that this was a Little Stint. Therefore, I have reported the bird as a Little Stint. "

Technical information

Model

NIKON D5300

Lens

200.0-500.0 mm f/5.6

ISO

250

Focal length

480 mm

Flash

Flash did not fire

f-stop

f/8.0

Shutter speed

1/500 sec

Dimensions

1223 pixels x 815 pixels

Original file size

623.09 KB