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Kathleen Bishop

9 Years Ago

Help With Shorebird Id, Please

The biguns are marbled godwits and willets but I can't decide on the little ones. At first I thought the second from left was a lesser yellowlegs but now I'm leaning toward dowitcher but don't know whether long-billed or short-billed. No idea what the little sandpipers are. Help will be appreciated so I can add the correct description/keywords.

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Kristia Adams

9 Years Ago

I always have such a problem with little sandpipers. It is hard to tell by the angle, but is the bird all the way to the left a type of plover? Maybe a black-bellied plover? It looks like it has a short bill in the picture, but I can't tell with the angle.

 

Liz Masoner

9 Years Ago

Kinda looks like a Willet. Off to check back in a few minutes

 

Kathleen Bishop

9 Years Ago

Kristia, they have fairly short bills, especially compared to the others. They do look like plovers but again, I'm having a hard time deciding on which. I think I'm tired and going cross-eyed looking at reference photos. And the thing that bugs me is I know what they are but I've gone stupid and drawing a blank right now.

 

Liz Masoner

9 Years Ago

Yep, looks like a western nonbreeding Willet (the different large ones - sorry, miscounted somehow) Back to looking for the little ones

 

Kathleen Bishop

9 Years Ago

Liz, the big gray ones are willets. It's the 2 smaller species that I can't decide on.

 

Liz Masoner

9 Years Ago

Yeah, just edited post. Got my right and left mixed up I guess. Need more caffeine

 

Kathleen Bishop

9 Years Ago

Maybe the one on the far left is a sanderling or black-bellied plover?

 

Liz Masoner

9 Years Ago

That little one is a puzzle and a half. The beak looks dowicher but the size doesn't match...

 

Liz Masoner

9 Years Ago

Is there a local birding group that would be more familiar with your local birds? We've got tons of groups on FB down here.

 

Kathleen Bishop

9 Years Ago

Yeah, I know other birders that I could ask. I was just hoping I could figure it out now so I could move on (just being lazy, to be honest)..

 

Celeste Drewien

9 Years Ago

Looks like willets, two dowitchers, and a common sandpiper.

 

Kristia Adams

9 Years Ago

I am fairly certain that the one on the left is a black-bellied plover. Looks a bit too big and bill too short to be a sanderling. The smaller one to the right looks the same as the plover to me but I can't see the front too well. I am not at all sure of the second one to the left.

 

Kathleen Bishop

9 Years Ago

Kristia, I've found another photo of the same little birds and in this one I think it's easier to see what they look like. Unless others come here with different opinions, I think I'll go with black-bellied plover. Still not sure if the other bird in the first pic is a dowitcher.
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Kristia Adams

9 Years Ago

Yes, now they definitely look like black-bellied plovers. I can't help with the dowitcher dilemma. Those are tough!

 

Kathleen Bishop

9 Years Ago

Thanks, Kristia! Another mystery solved, LOL.

 

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