ML68696791

Age

Not specified

Sex

Not specified

Observation details

With Ron and Nancy Overholtz. Documented for NAB. CONCLUSIONS: A few other shorebirds are as red-orange as these birds. Dowitchers and godwits have much longer bills; these birds had short stubby bills. Red phalaropes in breeding plumage are somewhat similar, but have completely different face patterns, yellow bills and lack white bellies. Curlew sandpiper in breeding plumage might also approximate this look, but that bird’s long down-curved bill does not match the bills on these birds. The combination of size, bill size and shape, and color of underparts lead us to the conclusion that these were two adult Red Knots. They had molted somewhat from full breeding plumage, especially in area of their heads, where no obvious trace of red-orange remained. But they retained enough color underneath to guide us quickly to the impression that we were looking at knots. COMMENTS: We went to the Sulfate Well on this Sunday morning to try to track down a sub-adult Long-tailed Jaeger that had been found the day before by Jon Dunn and Kimball Garrett. While we were looking for the Jaeger, Jim spotted these Knots. (Debby feels he did an outstanding job identifying them as they were somewhat distant and could have been missed.) The Jaeger was found a half an hour later of looking when Ron thought he had a large dark bird fly in and both Ron and Nancy Overholtz ran toward it re-finding the Jaeger found the day before by Dunn & Garrett. These Knots were just a big bonus for us that day. FIRST IMPRESSION: Pumpkin birds. Solid orange-red color underneath. The question was asked: “Are those Dowitchers?” The orange underparts were reminiscent of Dowitcher breeding plumages. But the bills were much too small.

Technical information

Model

DMC-ZS7

ISO

100

Focal length

4.1 mm

Flash

Flash fired

f-stop

f/6.3

Shutter speed

1/320 sec

Dimensions

1212 pixels x 900 pixels

Original file size

89.1 KB