ML442283911

Age

Not specified

Sex

Not specified

Observation details

I’ll likely never find a better bird, basically fantasy fulfillment…decades of swooning over European waders in Prater and Marchant pays off. Feeding actively in the west lagoon, with a mix of Yellowlegs, all of which harassed the bird consistently. Remarkably pale, slim and elegant with whitish face, chest and upper breast. Well defined dusky cap and dusky auriculars. Pale supercillium. Mostly white underparts with a few dark bars showing near the shoulder. Mantle pale gray and mostly unmarked apart from a few broad, dark (roughly anchor shaped) centres on scapulars and some upperwing coverts. Legs very long and quite a dark green tone, extending markedly beyond the tail in flight. Head small, rounded and looking a bit bony on a thin neck. Bill all dark, very long, a bit deep at the base and tapering evenly to a very fine tip, with maybe just a hint of upcurve mid length. In structure, recalled a diminutive Black-necked Stilt. In flight, very elegant and striking. Wing action fluid and graceful, with a distinctive snap to the upstroke, recalled WIPH. Tail and uppertail white with sparse barring on a few central pairs. Stunning white wedge up the back, extending nearly to the nape. Upperwing dark, a bit paler on secondaries with just the finest white edging on inner secondaries. Clear white shaft to outermost primary upperside. Underwing largely white with dark crescent on primary coverts. Feeding action again Phalarope-like, nervous, active and constant surface gleaning. Compared directly to Lesser Yellowlegs, considerably smaller (closer to Stilt Sandpiper) and more slight and more elongated on all counts. Call heard on a few occasions in flight, a slightly higher pitched “tyew”, compared to single note from LEYE. A couple of lower, conversational type calls were heard in flight but not well enough, by me, to typify. I’m guessing pre alternate although it could be 1st alternate, more research needed. Stunning flight shots all graciously provided by Matt Parsons. Addenda - seems likely to be first alternate based on anaemic state of alternate plumage, no yellow tint to legs, lack of spotting and barring on head neck and upper breast and apparent eccentric molt visible in outer primaries and inner secondaries. Pyle states that Marsh Sandpiper adult should be full alternate well before this date. 1st for Ontario, Canada and apparently eastern North America. Crikey! 2nd ever spring record for NA. Origin theory…I’d have to say there is no plausible explanation (weather-wise or precedent) for this bird getting here this spring from Africa or Australia and seems more likely it went east last fall, migrated down the west coast of the US etc and wintered somewhere in central / South America, then returning with other shorebirds northeast in spring. My 1st 50 shots were garbage as my hands were shaking and my heart racing. At one point I sat in the grass with two cameras with spent batteries, a cell phone on 3% and no one else there.

Technical information

Model

Canon EOS 7D Mark II

Lens

EF100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM

ISO

500

Focal length

400 mm

Flash

Flash did not fire

f-stop

f/5.6

Shutter speed

1/2000 sec

Dimensions

2481 pixels x 1654 pixels

Original file size

2.3 MB