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Help i.d. in n.y. (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter glide133
- Start date
RafaelMatias
Unknown member
1. Semipalmated Sandpiper
2. Forster's Tern
3. ?
4. American Golden Plover
2. Forster's Tern
3. ?
4. American Golden Plover
RafaelMatias
Unknown member
The overall shape and underwing pattern are consistent only with Mallard or American Black Duck and their (abundant?) hybrids.
birdmeister
Well-known member
Agreed, adding that #s 3 and 5 all look like American Black Ducks.
The Bird Nuts
Birding Duo
I'm curious...how are we ruling out a stint for the first bird?
1. Western Sandpiper? Semis should be long gone from New York, and the bill tip is fairly thin. Stints have a different straighter feathering where the gape meets the face. I think I also see a bit of palmations.
2. Forster's Tern
3. Black Duck or Mallards
4. Black-bellied Plover (bill way to big for AGP) among other differences
3. Black Duck or Mallards
Andy
2. Forster's Tern
3. Black Duck or Mallards
4. Black-bellied Plover (bill way to big for AGP) among other differences
3. Black Duck or Mallards
Andy
RafaelMatias
Unknown member
Given this bird is a juvenile, a Western would have rufous edges to the mantle, upper scapulars and perhaps to the tertials; however this bird doesn't show a hint of that colour on any of those feather tracts. IMO, the bill tip may seem thinner than is "typical" on SP Sandpiper just because this is a long billed individual (and bill has room to taper out towards the tip more than on shorter billed birds); palmations are not a problem for SPS either, they're expected. A long-billed Semipalmated Sandpiper IMO.
I'll look again into the plover later.
RafaelMatias
Unknown member
I don't know how that is possible, but the fact is that what is pictured on the photo is a typical juvenile plumage. Basic (winter) plumage is very different (of either SemiPS or WesternS), mostly grey upperparts with thin dark centers to the the scapulars etc.
lou salomon
the birdonist
i don't get it, rafael. juvenile feathers in all these peeps are reddish brown with broad white fringes. these are looking dull grey - so basic plumage. as for species: semipalmated sandpiper.
RafaelMatias
Unknown member
Quite an unusual pattern for basic plumage, I'd say. Mantle feathers are dark (very dark) centered, lower (and upper) scapulars are dark centered as well, with an internal pattern suggestive of the so called 'anchor marks' (not a thin line along the shaft, diffusely slightly darker towards the edges). Also the shape of those scaps on both plumages is slightly different, a bit blunter tipped on juvs. (as I think this one shows).
1. Western alternate: https://download.ams.birds.cornell.edu/api/v1/asset/24947541
2. Semipalmated alternate: http://focusingonwildlife.com/news/galleries/waders/semipalmated-sandpiper-calidris-pusilla/
3. Semipalmated, grey juv: http://www.rarebirdspain.net/irbsa748.jpg
Semipalmated AFAIK is typically a greyer looking peep (as a juv), always lacking clear reddish tones (unlike Western), with buffish tones to the crown and mantle shown in the juv plumage (shown in the OP bird), but lacking on winter/alternate plumaged birds. Am I missing something?
I totally can understand/accept this might be an unusual plumage I'm not familiar with (part of winter/alternate plumage variation), but I'd like to understand it better than, and preferably with some examples of such variation.
