7 replies to this topic

[guy_incognito]

All seen this morning in San Diego, CA.

1.

2.

3.

Spoiler

1. Yellow-crowned Night-Heron
2. Clapper Rail
3. Red Knot

[Melissa :)]

1) Definitely YCNH-- amazing picture!!
2) Clapper Rail looks good
3) looks good for Red Knot!

Congrats on the lifers!!

[creeker]

So, I see you visited the Tijuana Estuary.

[guy_incognito]

So, I see you visited the Tijuana Estuary.

Indeed! My first time there. Awesome looks at the YCNH. Didn't expect to see so many Clapper Rails either. The Red Knots were at 7th St. Unfortunately the Curlew Sandpiper wasn't found today, and it looks like the Ruff was a one day wonder.

You SD people are spoiled with great birds.

[Liam]

What makes the last one a Red Knot and not a Curlew Sandpiper?

[psweet]

I think I see too much dark markings on the secondary coverts for Curlew Sandpiper, but the biggest reason is that noone will accept this photo as sufficient for a Curlew Sandpiper.

[Liam]

Guy, do you have any other photos? I wouldn't feel comfortable calling it either way from that one photo. Unless I'm looking at it wrong, the proportions seem somewhat off compared to the Knots I've seen.

[guy_incognito]

No other photos, unfortunately. I am fairly certain this is not a Curlew, but yeah, the photo quality is just terrible. The views I had in a scope showed a shorter and straighter bill of a Red Knot. There is a known Curlew Sandpiper at this spot, but it is completely in basic plumage. There were some of the top SD birders out, and they didn't find the known Curlew Sandpiper, so it is exceedingly unlikely that this would be a second, yet undiscovered Curlew that they had not seen.