Buff-breasted Sandpiper Tryngites subruficollis (Tryngites subruficollis)

This elegant shorebird is a very rare migrant in California. In fact it is rare as a migrant anywhere away from it's main migration route through the Great Plains. It winters in South America. Like several other shorebirds that winter in South America, it was hunted for market and became nearly extinct by the late 1920's. It has since recovered and stabilized somewhat, but remains nowhere near its former abundance which was estimated to be in the millions.

Almost all California records are of birds in juvenal plumage, such as this one. Adults look similar but have buff (not white) fringes to the scapulars and lack the dark shaft-spots just inside of the light buff fringes on the coverts.

Special thanks to Alvaro Jaramillo for finding this bird yesterday, and thanks to the bird for having the courtesy to stay around so that others could enjoy it.