ML31460451

Age and sex

Adult, Unknown sex - X

Media notes

Here the Surfbird has dashed up close to a precipice and stopped just in the niche of time. It seemed to be looking across the gap between boulders and downward, as if to find a suitable spot for it to land upon flying across. It, indeed, was doing just that (see photo ML31460441).

Observation details

All of the Surfbird photos were taken from the outer (i.e., eastern) 60% of the South Jetty: RULING OUT FOUR ID-COMPETITORS RELATIVE TO SURFBIRD PURPLE SANDPIPER (PUSA): In addition to differing in bill shape, PUSA’s bill is yellow at both mandible bases; Surfbird’s different-shaped bill has a large orange base only on the lower mandible (ML31460431); PUSA’s entire tail and uppertail coverts are dark vs. Surfbird’s widely black-tipped tail with white tail base/uppertail coverts (ML31460411). PUSA has its rufous scapular color in feather fringes, but Surfbird’s is in large internal ovals (ML31460431) ROCK SANDPIPER (ROSA): ROSA and PUSA have many similarities, and the exclusionary analyses for PUSA apply also to ROSA. BLACK TURNSTONE: Several factors rule this out, including, strikingly, its bright white back and bright white area at topside wing base anterior to the white wing stripe, very different than Surfbird (ML31460411). GREAT KNOT: Among other factors, its bill is wrong because it has a much longer and entirely black bill vs. the differently shaped, colored, and sized bill of Surfbird (ML31460431).

Technical information

Model

Canon EOS 10D

ISO

400

Focal length

240 mm

Flash

Flash did not fire

f-stop

f/9.5

Shutter speed

1/1000 sec

Dimensions

2395 pixels x 1678 pixels

Original file size

738.51 KB