6 replies to this topic

[Benjamin DeHaven]

Hello all!

Shorebirds, flycatchers, and ducks will be the end of me. Thank you all for helping me through this!

This image was taken on 7.11.12 at the Swan Creek / Cox Creek area off the Chesapeake Bay just south of Baltimore City, Maryland. The little guys were referred to as "peeps" by a more experienced birder and I think I have decided that they are likely Least Sandpipers. The larger bird I decided was likely a young Dunlin, however eBird shows no reported sightings of a Dunlin in that area for nearly two months, so I am almost certainly wrong. All the offset boxes have been sharpened, the upper left box has also had much Vibrance and some Saturation to try and bring out leg color. The underlying image has had only Lens Correction run on it.





Best I can tell on my end is the little guys have straight beaks slightly longer than their heads. The larger bird has a beak with a low to moderate down curve which is roughly the length of his head.

Thanks guys!

Benjamin DeHaven

[TheBillyPilgrim]

Larger bird looks more like a plover (probably a killdeer). The little guys are indeed peeps, but I don't think there's enough in the photo to pin them down. Least would be the most likely though, given date and location.

[Liam]

Larger bird looks more like a plover (probably a killdeer). The little guys are indeed peeps, but I don't think there's enough in the photo to pin them down. Least would be the most likely though, given date and location.

I agree. Nice new avatar, Billy!

[TheBillyPilgrim]

I agree. Nice new avatar, Billy!

My lifer Reddish from last winter Love the Waxwing mohawk, too

[Liam]

The Reddish Egret has always been one of my favorite birds. I saw my lifer in Jacksonville three years ago. Far from a presentable individual, but he's still one the coolest birds I ever saw.

Love the Waxwing mohawk, too

Thanks, they stayed a lot longer than they usually do this year - all the way until the end of May! I saw this one New year's eve 2011, though.

[MarkBird]

Must be the summer doldrums - I dedided it was time for a change too.

Well, I changed my photo, but it still comes up as the old one. ? I'm ALMOST ready for a change.

Ok, all better. Operator error, I guess.

Edited by MarkBird, 13 July 2012 - 02:45 PM.

[Benjamin DeHaven]

Ok, looks like the topic has moved on from my picture!

Thank you guys very much for your help. To be honest, I didn't (kind of still don't) see how the larger bird can be a Killdeer based on bill length being too long, no white stripe visible at the base of the neck which should be visible even from behind, and I swear I see the bill drooping at the end. However, two people with more expertise say Killdeer, Killdeer were on site that day (minimum of 5 that I counted), and no one reporting anything else that this could have been. And there was fairly good coverage that day because 4 American Avocet were spotted there (flew in while I was looking the other direction and then spotted by someone who walked up behind me ) and once the word went out several more people showed up.

Just shows how much I have to learn about the nuances of id, especially of birds as seemingly similar as shorebirds. After seeing your ids I went and searched up an image of a Least Sandpiper standing in frame with a Killdeer and I was absolutely shocked the Killdeer was so much larger. In my mind Killdeer were tiny little things dwarfed by most everything else.

In other words, I was clueless and your ids saved me from reporting something stupid, so thank you!

Benjamin DeHaven