ML616596340

Age

Not specified

Sex

Not specified

Observation details

After initially seeing the plover with Lucas Stephenson, Rachel Lawrence, Ethan Monk, Logan Kahle, and another unknown to me, there was some discussion regarding field marks that would establish this as a Piping Plover. The plover was clearly paler than Semipalmated Plover. All dark bill and incomplete breast band were readily apparent. The bill seemed short and stubby. Size was similar to Semipalmated Plover. Consensus among those with an opinion was that this was a juvenile Piping Plover, and not a Snowy Plover or aberrant, leucistic Semipalmated Plover. The shorebirds regularly took flight, but came back to the foraging location described by Marty Freeland. We believed that flight photos, that showed open wing and tail, as well as those of the legs and feet would be necessary to establish the identification. In the field, the plover structurally appeared to subtly differ from the Semipalmated Plover. To me, it seemed a bit compact. Looking at photos, i don't know if there are real differences in tail length, or if subtle body shape differences cause this perception. Photos show that the legs and feet are orange. Webbing between toes is not visible, which eliminates Semipalmated Plover. Flight photos show a broad white wing stripe extending to the most distal primary. The uppertail coverts appear to be mostly pale. Both of which suggest Piping Plover. Images are cropped. Some are enlarged to show the structure of the feet.

Technical information

Dimensions

1380 pixels x 920 pixels

Original file size

843.86 KB