ML98045041

Age

Not specified

Sex

Not specified

Observation details

A smallish Calidris Sandpiper, larger than a Least Sandpiper, actively undergoing (or perhaps with suspended) prebasic molt. The head was mostly dark brown with reddish tones. The bill was entirely dark, short, and slightly drooped at the tip. The eye was dark. The crown was reddish-brown with heavy dark streaks. The supercillium was reddish, and split, with the main stripe extending over the eye and the secondary stripe crossing into the crown. The second stripe was much less distinct than the main supercillium, while the main supercillium was pale grayish. The lores were dark. The auriculars were reddish-brown with gray tones. The nape was perhaps the reddest part of the bird, but there were some faint dark streaks through it. The sides of the neck were whiter than the nape and had fewer streaks. The chin was white. In general the upperparts were reddish and heavily marked with dark brown, while the underparts were clean white. The back was marked with two broad, distinct black and yellow-white stripes, sort of as if the bird had ‘racing stripes’. At a distance this was probably the most distinctive plumage feature. The scapulars were black with distinct dull rufous edges, though two or three had been molted in to grayish basic feathers. The underparts were mostly clean white, though the upper breast was well marked with rufous tones and short, thin streaks that extended all the way across the breast. The throat was white. The legs were totally black, and there was no webbing between the toes. This feature was easy to see as the bird ran around the rocks of Mussel Flat. The tarsi were long when compared to both Least and Western Sandpipers. In flight the bird looked more-or-less exactly the same as a Western Sandpiper. However, in photos of the closed wing, I was able to note that some of the inner Median Coverts had been replaced with grayish basic feathers. This contrasted with the outer, retained alternate feathers, which had large dark centers edged with a bit of rufous. Although I specifically looked for this in the field, I was not able to see it as some of the breast feathers were puffed up over the coverts. The tertials had broad black centers with light rufous edges. The bird ran about the slimy ponds of Mussel Flat in typical ‘Peep’ fashion, occasionally picking off unwary or slow Kelp Flies. It seemed to carry itself with a more upright posture than either Western Sandpiper, or Least Sandpipers do. It spent some time loosely associating with both species. The bird’s foraging style was closer to that of the Least than to the Western, slightly more erratic and definitely more active. The Western appeared rather sluggish and deliberate in comparison. The Little Stint was intermediate in size between those two species, while the shape was more similar to the Western Sandpipers.

Technical information

Model

X400,D580Z,C460Z

ISO

50

Focal length

10 mm

Flash

Flash did not fire, auto

f-stop

f/3.8

Shutter speed

0.01 sec

Dimensions

919 pixels x 778 pixels

Original file size

356.47 KB