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ZEISS DTI thermal imaging cameras. For more discoveries at night, and during the day.

Pec,Common or just plain old Green ?? ID please (1 Viewer)

paclett

Grampy Bustard
Was just messing about at a local pond with the settings on the
camera when 4 of theses dropped in for a feed.
Are they or are they not?
A quick shgot so a bit wobbly, better one next time
paul
 

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No Logos, Michael has all food and liquid piped to his desk. I think he delays answers sometimes just to tease us!

I was about to venture an opinion on this photo but when I scrolled down realised I would have been wrong. My first thought was 'common' - can I ask what did you guys see so quickly to indicate 'green'? I need to learn this stuff!
 
Hi Doug,
What I always look for when looking at sandpipers, is a white gap between wings and breast when on the ground,It is easily visable on a Common Sandpiper.Other sandpipers do not have this gap to my knowledge.The Common sandpiper always has a somewhat stocky half crouched appearance when feeding.
The Green Sandpiper seems more rangier, with a darker plumage above compared to the brown Common Sandpiper.The gap between wing and breast is non-existant.When it comes to Pectoral and other Sandpipers I would leave it to the more expert birders on this forum as I have yet to see them for myself in the flesh.
I hope this helps,
Regards Paul.
 
Doug,

I can't speak for the others but I suppose the most obvious feature for Green to me would be the extent of dark and white on the breast. Common would have a protruding spur of white up the breast side. On Green (as is well illustrated in Paclett's photo) the dark on the breast more-or-less forms an uninterrupted straight line across to the bottom edge of the dark wing. From the photo you can also see that the bird has fairly long legs (Common Sand would look proportionally more short-legged). It also looks a bit dark and blackish for a Common, although this can be a bit harder to judge with a bird on its own.
 
Others have covered it but as a rule in the UK if you see a sandpiper its most likely to be Common or Green.

If it has a white shoulder strap almost like braces its Common, as discussed.
If it has a white rump, looking a bit like a large House martin when it flies its green. (Forget Wood Sand for now) i.e. Green is much darker than the more sandy coloured Common which also has a white wing-bar and pulsing wingbeets.
Both bob their tails but Common Sandpiper does it almost all the time.

Heres a Common Sandpiper from the gallery.
And here is a Green Sandpiper like yours
Have a look under this search and you can compair some of the others.



Regards

Rich
 
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