6 replies to this topic

[David Case]

First a couple of tern shots for confirmation ...

1. Forster's Tern
2012.05.05_007_(Fern_Ridge_Wildlife_Area)_LR


2. Black Tern (juvenile on left, adult on right)
2010.07.16_048_(Fern_Ridge_Wildlife_Area)


And then the shorebirds at which I am really, really, bad.

3. Western Sandpiper?
2010.07.16_039_(Fern_Ridge_Wildlife_Area)


4. Semipalmated Sandpiper?
2010.08.17_002_(Fern_Ridge_Wildlife_Area)


5. Least Sandpiper?
2009.09.26_011_(Fern_Ridge_Wildlife_Area)


6. Greater Yellowlegs?

2011.02.02_020_(Delta_Ponds)

Thanks again, all!

[spookyjimjams]

Agree with Greater Yellowlegs, Forster's Tern, and adult Black Tern. I'd agree on the juvenile Black Tern, but that perfect delineation of black and white on the neck is making me question it. Although, I have no other bird to think of.

[David Case]

Agree with Greater Yellowlegs, Forster's Tern, and adult Black Tern. I'd agree on the juvenile Black Tern, but that perfect delineation of black and white on the neck is making me question it. Although, I have no other bird to think of.

I went through the same thought process on the suspected juvenile Black Tern. The birds that I could think of that had head markings similar to the photo were the Franklin's and Bonaparte's Gulls but the underwing seemed wrong for those species, so I went with juvenile Black Tern.

[psweet]

I don't think that's a juvenile Black Tern, I think it's a molting adult -- notice that the black appears to extend in front of the eyes, which isn't typical of a juvenile plumage, but it's easy to see how a molting bird could look like that. I also suspect that the really clean edge is the result of upping the contrast on the photo -- it looks just like when I let the auto-correct function run wild.

Can't say on #3, but #4 and #5 appear to be Least Sandpipers.

[MarkBird]

Can't say on #3, but #4 and #5 appear to be Least Sandpipers.

Concur with #4 Least - too much rufous to support Semipalmated, and the legs may well just be muddy yellow.

[JimBob]

Thinking Least Sandpipers for 3,4,5, and agree with Greater Yellowlegs on 6.

[David Case]

I don't think that's a juvenile Black Tern, I think it's a molting adult -- notice that the black appears to extend in front of the eyes, which isn't typical of a juvenile plumage, but it's easy to see how a molting bird could look like that. I also suspect that the really clean edge is the result of upping the contrast on the photo -- it looks just like when I let the auto-correct function run wild.

Can't say on #3, but #4 and #5 appear to be Least Sandpipers.

Concur with #4 Least - too much rufous to support Semipalmated, and the legs may well just be muddy yellow.

Thinking Least Sandpipers for 3,4,5, and agree with Greater Yellowlegs on 6.

Thanks to all of you. Regarding what I thought was a juvenile Black Tern, perhaps the photo below consisting of two shots of the bird will help. The one on the left is the shot before the one I originally posted. Both are 100% crops and are straight out of the camera—no sharpening, contrast adjustments, etc. I agree with psweet that my photo editing made the edge cleaner than it might otherwise appear, BUT it is pretty dang clean on the bird I think, especially considering that the focus is off. In any case the left shot gives a clearer view of the head.