ML577449861

Age

Not specified

Sex

Not specified

Observation details

Apparent first Gaines County record. A large peep with long primaries that extended past the tail. Very gray, not buffy tan, like Baird's Sandpiper. Birds showed triangular streaking across the upper breast and down the flanks. The base of the bill showed the orange spot, diagnostic for the species. White rumps visible in flight and when preening. Digiscoped images document the record. In at least one image, you can see the white rump as a bird preens. The count is as exact as I could make, but I strongly suspect it's an undercount. I had seen large peeps scattered around the lake, and they flew occasionally and changed positions. I got closer to take pictures and had just counted 9 individuals when a flock of 10 additional individuals flew in and landed a little further back. Thus I had 19 individuals in front of me at once but I suspect that wasn't the entirety of the White-rumpeds at the lake. As I needed other peeps for my county list, I looked hard trying to pick out other species. No luck. Every peep I saw was a White-rumped. This species is a later migrant than other peeps, seemingly to peak in numbers from mid to late May, and I suspect they are much more common but overlooked by birders. Identification can be a challenge though, especially since less experienced observers can see the white tail of other species (for example, phalaropes) and mistake it for a white "rump", leading to the wrong identification.

Technical information

Model

iPhone 13 Pro

Lens

iPhone 13 Pro back triple camera 5.7mm f/1.5

ISO

50

Focal length

5.7 mm

Flash

Flash did not fire

f-stop

f/1.5

Shutter speed

1/3165 sec

Dimensions

3000 pixels x 2250 pixels

Original file size

837.62 KB