Waders or Shorebirds

[streatham]

Ok i'm holding my hands up and admitting I'm absolutely rubbish at Shorebirds. Sparrows no problem, fall warblers - easy - but Peeps are a nightmare in my opinion (not overly keen on medium sized Terns either if we're honest).

Anyway this year I decided to face my fears and try and identify some of the little buggers - unfortunately the best time to do this is in fall here when you get all the juvie and molting birds. I think i'm doing ok but as of yet I'm only seeing least and semipal sandpipers - and i'm wondsering if i'm just missing stuff.

I've been doing all the background reading I can (so much so it seems even more confusing now than when I started) but I'm wondering what tips or advice people would offer on identifying these birds. Bill seems important, Bare parts and little hints in plummage are useful but what else are people looking for. Anybody have any general advice on how to approach identifying these birds.

Many thanks - Luke

[gary jb]

Hi Luke,i have the same problem,in im not to good in identifying waders.one or two i am ok with,but the rest,no chance.i will just have to study them more.

Gary.......

[Sandra (Taylor)]

If there is an RSPB reserve near you how about going on one of the early morning wader watches with an expert? Concentrate on identifying just a few on one visit otherwise your brain will hurt! I used to be rubbish but over a few years I'm getting better so I'm not just as rubbish but wow! have I got a lot yet to learn. I fear I'm running out of time too!!

Good luck - keep at it.

Sandra

[streatham]

Thanks Gary and Sandra,

A small victory yesterday - finding a couple of Red Knots amongst a host of SB Dowitchers. I also enrolled myself with a local shorebird seminar for later in the month. I was just wondering how people approach a situation like I had yesterday with hundreds of Semipal Sandpipers feeding on a spit (not sure what the equivalent uk birds would be) - are people looking for birds behaving differently, different plummage? What are you initially looking for to pick perhaps the one or two different birds out of that throng of birds.

Luke

[Grousemore]

I hope you don't mind,Luke,but I've changed the title of your interesting Thread in the hope that the addition of the word 'Wader' elicits some response from non-USA Members.

[streatham]

Hi Trevor - Thanks for that - I forgot that you don't even use the same term for these birds.

Luke

[Keith Dickinson]

Hi Luke,
With peeps/waders the key to id is learning the regular birds and then the new birds stand out more. This means going out and watching them regularly, preferably with someone who is a little better than you so that you can get help immediately. Concentrate on the common birdss and try to capture the 'jizz' of the bird. I don't know the American birds but in UK the two birds to 'learn' are dunlin and redshank. Once these are in your brain then you will find that a bird will stand out because it's too big/small for the common one so you can then concentrate on the plumage etc to hopefully id the bird. This is the method that I used when I first started birding and it does work, it just takes a long time if you can't get out too often.
Hope this helps
Keith
Ok i'm holding my hands up and admitting I'm absolutely rubbish at Shorebirds. Sparrows no problem, fall warblers - easy - but Peeps are a nightmare in my opinion (not overly keen on medium sized Terns either if we're honest).

Anyway this year I decided to face my fears and try and identify some of the little buggers - unfortunately the best time to do this is in fall here when you get all the juvie and molting birds. I think i'm doing ok but as of yet I'm only seeing least and semipal sandpipers - and i'm wondsering if i'm just missing stuff.

I've been doing all the background reading I can (so much so it seems even more confusing now than when I started) but I'm wondering what tips or advice people would offer on identifying these birds. Bill seems important, Bare parts and little hints in plummage are useful but what else are people looking for. Anybody have any general advice on how to approach identifying these birds.

Many thanks - Luke

[Sandra (Taylor)]

If you see hundreds of dowitchers, don't try and pick an odd one out - just enjoy!

[Larry Lade]

When I began to try to separate all the various shorebirds that migrate semi-annually through Missouri, I almost "threw up my hands in dispair". I was amazed by some people's ablility to call out, "Baird's, Western, Semipalmated, etc." as they pretty much all looked alike to me. It was a big help to me, as Keith mentioned above, to sometimes go with someone who can reliably identify the various species. Feeding behavior (are they in shallow water, deeper water, at the water's edge,on the shore, etc.) can be helpful. The general shape/impression of the bird "jizz" can become important when trying to sort out all the different shorebirds. This come with experience.

What helped me was to get out as much as possible when the birds were around and really study them. The more you can get out and see them, the more experienced you will become and in time you will be able to call out the different species more readily.

Keep at it, and do not become discouraged!

[streatham]

Hi Larry,

Thanks for the words of advice and encouragement - I was feeling a little overwhelmed I must admit initially hence the post. Determined to stick with it as you say and going out as much as I can at the moment just to try and soak up as much experience with the common ones as I can. I have also started a little notebook with my observations and little tidbits I have pulled from the various books I have been reading too. Just to pass on a little tip of my own the Hayman, Marchant, Prater "Shorebirds - an identification guide" published by Houghton Miflin is great - loads of great plates full of pictures covering Breeding, Non-Breeding and Juvenile Birds of a species as well as a ton of useful information. Of course as it covers the whole world it may have more information that most US birders need but still a very nice book.

By the way has anyone got any thoughts on the Dennis Paulson Shorebirds of the Pacific Northwest.

Luke

[Larry Lade]

Hi Larry,

Thanks for the words of advice and encouragement - I was feeling a little overwhelmed I must admit initially hence the post. Determined to stick with it as you say and going out as much as I can at the moment just to try and soak up as much experience with the common ones as I can. I have also started a little notebook with my observations and little tidbits I have pulled from the various books I have been reading too. Just to pass on a little tip of my own the Hayman, Marchant, Prater "Shorebirds - an identification guide" published by Houghton Miflin is great - loads of great plates full of pictures covering Breeding, Non-Breeding and Juvenile Birds of a species as well as a ton of useful information. Of course as it covers the whole world it may have more information that most US birders need but still a very nice book.

By the way has anyone got any thoughts on the Dennis Paulson Shorebirds of the Pacific Northwest.

Luke
Hi Luke,

I also have that shorebird book by Hayman, et. al. It has about everything you could want, but it is a little cumbersome and may tend to overwhelm a person. Sibley's is very good too. I generally take my trusty National Geographic (I have the 3rd Ed.) when I go out. I don't carry it, but have it in my vehicle. I do not have Paulson's book, so cannot comment on it. When I was starting out with the shorebirds (and birds in general) I used Chandler S. Robbins, Bertel Bruun and Herbert S. Zim's Golden "Birds of North America". I guess as time went on I felt I needed a "little more sophisticated" field guide. Whenever I believe a friend or relative may be interested in watching birds, I recommend this Golden field guide or just buy one for them as a gift.

There is no short cut to learning to ID these little "peeps", one just has to get out there and study them (the longer and more times, the better). Get to know the ones that are common in your area really well and when something different shows it should "pop out" at you.

I have also made sketches of the various birds at times. It seems if I put pencil to paper and draw some of the various field marks it may help remember to look for those field marks when I next observe some "not so obvious" bird.

I am wishing you well in your shorebirding,

[snowyowl]

I think that most of us have the same problem with shorebirds, particularly peeps. Seperating Westerns from a mixed flock can really be a challenge.

The good (or bad news depending on your point of view) is that the shore birds are back in large numbers. I was at a beach digging clams yesterday around dusk and the place was alive with shorebirds and I didn't even have a pair of binoculars with me. I imagin that they will be down your way any day now if they aren't there already.
Lots of chance to practise id'ing.

[Andy Ledger]

Something funny just struck me. I've always cringed at the term 'peeps', but is it really any worse than our habit of referring to hard-to-ID warblers as 'little brown jobs' or even 'LBJs'? I suspect it's not, is it? Life - you never stop learning...

*Goes off and contemplates the wonderful global nature of birding*

[Dave B Smith]

Luke,
I was in the same dilemma as you exactly one year ago (coincidently when I joined BF). I had always ignored the shorebirds and justified it in my mind saying they weren't very interesting and were very common. Well, as I finally consolidated a life list I found that I needed them! And then I started studying them as you are now and what do you know, they ARE interesting! I've learned my most common ones and as others have suggested, now look for the ones that stand out as different. And like everyone has said, just keep working at it. Overall size and posture, bill length, wing markings, facial patterns, breast markings, bill color, and leg colors are all very important features (as well as knowing how these features change with age / season). Good luck and hope you enjoy them.

[dacol]

...

By the way has anyone got any thoughts on the Dennis Paulson Shorebirds of the Pacific Northwest.

Luke


I only saw this thread today. Paulson's book is a very good reference with lots of IDing info. But if you don't have it yet you probably should wait till the following book is published in December 2004:

Shorebirds of North America : The Photographic Guide
by Dennis Paulson

• Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Princeton University Press; (December 15, 2004)
• ISBN: 0691121079


It is reputed to be much better.

Dalcio

[Tero]

I carry the Stokes guide around sometimes
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0316816965/qid=1094070842/sr=1-10/ref=sr_1_10/102-6409993-1660934?v=glance&s=books

mainly because it is skinny and little extra weight. Not sure if it is the best. But a good start, to complement a Sibley or tother guide.

[lizmcm]

As a new birder, I've chosen waders as a starting point, partly because they're easier to spot and partly because I love being near the sea. Apart from the estuaries near my home, I also visit Norfolk regularly and I marvel at the numbers of different species (which I can't yet identify) on Breydon Water at low tide. Can someone please answer what is probably a silly question...where do all the waders go when the tide comes in?

[Larry Lade]

Living in Missouri which is very much in the middle of continental United States we do not have "tides", so your question is one which I never have to worry about. I am sure someone will be along shortly to answer your question though!

[Larry Lade]

I would suppose that they got to nearby estuaries though! That is watery places with some exposed mud flats/shore line.

[samuel walker]

I would suppose that they got to nearby estuaries though! That is watery places with some exposed mud flats/shore line. Shorebirds/waders another example of two peoples divided by a common language
N.America
waders- Tall water birds ie heron, egret,crane I'm putting the bar at 10 inch or greater leg length.
Shorebirds- Killdeer,sanderling,dunlin,willet all sandpiper and plover.My interpretation of Peterson's classifications.
Sam

[David Bryant]

...where do all the waders go when the tide comes in?[/QUOTE]

At Breydon the waders seem to move onto the surrounding fields at high tide: as the tide rises the birds get nearer and nearer to the banks, so that's the best time to see them! At the top of the tide the area in front of the first hide on the North Wall (which is called 'The Lumps'!) can be crowded with thousands of waders!
At the very highest tides, the marshes and fields along the Acle Straight are often covered with waders, particularly Oycs, Godwits, Plovers and Curlews

[Kevin Mac]

I don't even go birding for shorebirds/ waders when the tide is low- there is way too much habitat for them to forage on. When the tide is high they are forced close to shore for easy viewing. Extremely high tides will force the birds completly inland- on fields, ponds, etc. If you ever visit Vancouver in late July to late August be sure to check out the Iona Island sewage lagoons on a high tide- there are literally hundreds if not thousands of sandpipers within meters of you.

[nepp]

Yesterday, at dusk, I wandered out to the shore to see what I could see. Most birds were too far away as the tide was far out. Lots of Brent geese newly arrived from Iceland.(?)

However, close to me was what I would swear was a spotted redshank. It was dark on top and slightly paler below...and it seemed to be speckled. It had bright red legs...surely it was. I watched it for about 10 minutes and then it finally flew off.
It was worth waiting for because then I saw white trailing edges to the wings and white rump. I was only a common redshank. If I hadn't seen the wing pattern I would still be convinced it was the spotted redshank.

Moral of this adventure ? ...wait until the wader flies in order to observe the wing pattern. Wing pattern is an essential part of identifying waders/shore birds in winter plumage.

Norma




When I began to try to separate all the various shorebirds that migrate semi-annually through Missouri, I almost "threw up my hands in dispair". I was amazed by some people's ablility to call out, "Baird's, Western, Semipalmated, etc." as they pretty much all looked alike to me. It was a big help to me, as Keith mentioned above, to sometimes go with someone who can reliably identify the various species. Feeding behavior (are they in shallow water, deeper water, at the water's edge,on the shore, etc.) can be helpful. The general shape/impression of the bird "jizz" can become important when trying to sort out all the different shorebirds. This come with experience.

What helped me was to get out as much as possible when the birds were around and really study them. The more you can get out and see them, the more experienced you will become and in time you will be able to call out the different species more readily.

Keep at it, and do not become discouraged!

[Ruby]

Hi Norma,

Someone told me a sure-fire way of telling Redshank from Spotshank - head to bill length ratio.... The ratio on a Common Redshank is around 1.25 (ie the bill is 1.25 times the length of the head) and on a Spotshank it is around 2 - 2.5 times.

There are lots of other differences too, but sometimes you can be fooled by different seasonal plumages, lighting, depth of water etc etc....


All the best..... Ruby

[jedigrant]

Another couple of book suggestions for shorebird identification:
The Complete Birder - Jack Connor: great chapter on shorebirds. Also includes chapters on raptors, gulls, and warblers, along with other more general tips. You should be able to find this online pretty cheap.

Advanced Birding - Kenn Kaufman: ID tips on lots of problem groups and species, including shorebirds. Very helpful book.

Note, neither of these are traditional field guides. There are some illustrations (mostly in Kaufman), but they are all black and white. However, the text is the real star here, and seeing as you already have "Shorebirds - an identification guide" you have all the illustrations already!