ML361330061

Age and sex

Adult Female - 1

Media notes

black lores include point where they meet gape, dark orbital-ring, broad breast band, female

Observation details

This female was with 36 SEPL. When the opportunity occurs (high tide roosts where the birds feel secure), I often do intensive study looking for CRPL. During this hour-long session I heard a call at least twice that I felt might be CRPL. (I have the call as a ring tone on my phone. I hear it daily.) I could not locate the calling bird. Towards the end of the hour, I found this bird. This is the only bird, of 37, that I bothered to photograph. Being a female, I wasn’t at all certain but the laterally extended white forehead, wider dark lores at the gape and broad breast band got my attention. I got five photos, all of which are presented here plus super-crops of same for features such as orbital-ring and black lores meeting the gape. Each photo is annotated re critical CRPL features that I believe can be seen. The overall colour seems to be a gray-brown with blotchy, lighter areas that seem typical to the species. I have studied photos of females at Macaulay and feel that some photos show points such as how the black lores meet the gape and how the white forehead can get browned out above the eye, not quite meeting the supercilium, identical to this bird. Photo #9, p. 239, “The Shorebird Guide”, of an August female is highly relevant to this bird. Photos of CRPL females reported Aug 4, 2021 by Blair Dudeck https://ebird.org/checklist/S92767840 and Sept 3, 2018 by Alvan Buckley https://ebird.org/checklist/S48271406, show how the black lores meet the gape and how the white forehead can get browned out above the eye, not quite meeting the supercilium, and are highly relevant to this bird. One of the most respected birders in Newfoundland, Bruce Mactavish, gave us the following comments on this bird: “The bird shows promise with the black in lores encompassing the gap and even extending below the gap line. The white supercilium is OK and necessary for a Ringed but some female SEPL have the same. The apparent lack of orbital ring is good but some SEPL so faint you would not see it in a picture of this quality. Wish the white of the forehead curved in toward the lower part of the eye. It is a bird that would start the warning bells of an imminent rare bird discovery with the adrenaline pumps warmed up and ready for action - but I'd want to see more of the bird to go any farther with identification to species.” I returned to this exact location three times in the next four days, at the same tide state. I found 36, 29 and 14 SEPL but could not re-find this bird, to photograph the feet. Added: With five head photos, all at different angles, I see no trace of gold on the orbital-ring. I see the orbital-ring as black. Any light is sky light reflected from the bare skin. The black lores “encompassing the gap and even extending below the gap line” are critical to a good CRPL ID. One can photograph hundreds of SEPL and not find this. One of Nova Scotia’s most knowledgeable birders, Eric Mills, has written to me “all the plumage features look good” and “the bill is very stout, a favourable feature”. I submit this as a documented Common Ringed Plover.

Technical information

Model

DMC-FZ40

ISO

80

Focal length

108 mm

Flash

Flash did not fire

f-stop

f/5.6

Shutter speed

1/250 sec

Dimensions

404 pixels x 696 pixels

Original file size

104.29 KB