Sandpiper ID [IN Ottawa] {good pics too} (1 Viewer)

Catherine3678

Well-known member

• Aug 23, 2007

• #1

This little bird makes the cutest little peeping sounds to announce its arrival! Very wild ... my "make like a tree skills" came in very handy as I was out in the open stalking this bird to get some (I think) very nice photos. Is this the "Solitary Sandpiper"?

 

Attachments

• 
  Sandpiper.jpg

  257.8 KB · Views: 59
• 
  Sandpiper (1).jpg

  92.6 KB · Views: 46
• 
  Sandpiper (2).jpg

  143.7 KB · Views: 63
• 
  Sandpiper (3).jpg

  127.7 KB · Views: 63
• 
  Sandpiper (4).jpg

  149.6 KB · Views: 56

On-Firecrest

Stuck in a Rutt

• Aug 23, 2007

• #2

good pics, i would suggest it could be a lesser yellowlegs (probably wrong though!)

 

H

HH75

Well-known member

• Aug 23, 2007

• #3

Juvenile Lesser Yellowlegs. Greater would have a longer and thicker bill, with a pale base: in the field, it is also very much larger, though this can be hard to judge from pics or lone birds. Solitary Sandpiper is superficially similar, though has shorter legs and neck, a slightly decurved bill (with, I seem to recall, a pale base?), a more attenuated rear end etc. In flight, Solitary Sandpiper has a dark rump, as against the squared-off white rump of both yellowlegs species.
Regards,
Harry

 

F

fbeeldens

Well-known member

• Aug 23, 2007

• #4

Agree with Harry.

Lesser yellowlegs for me as well.

Cheers,

filip

 

Microtus

Maryland USA (he/him)

• Aug 23, 2007

• #5

Lesser Yellowlegs.

 

JANJ

Well-known member

• Aug 23, 2007

• #6

To view what Harry said

http://www.geocities.com/tgrey41/Pages/LesserYellowlegsp.html

http://www.featheredfotos.com/spppages/shorebirds/solitary sandpiper.html

http://www.bobsteelephoto.com/Species/sosa.html

http://www.indianaaudubon.org/guide/photopages/TrabueSOSA.htm

JanJ

 

Catherine3678

Well-known member

• Aug 24, 2007

• #7

Thank you All

Thanks everybody!

A Lesser Yellowlegs is fine with me! That's another lifer

 

D

Dave B Smith

Well-known member

• Aug 24, 2007

• #8

And very good photos! Congrats on the lifer.

 

Gillian_M

Birding since 2006!

• Aug 24, 2007

• #9

Great shots of the yellowlegs! :t:

Catherine, was it you I was watching the merlins chasing crows at the Ottawa river near Woodroffe sometime last week??? I was talking with someone about the birds seen in the little pond there, and she mentioned the same phrase about "making like a tree" to sneak up on the heron there!

That would be cool to think that I met you and didn't even know it! :-O

 

Catherine3678

Well-known member

• Aug 24, 2007

• #10

Gillian_M said:

Great shots of the yellowlegs! :t:

Catherine, was it you I was watching the merlins chasing crows at the Ottawa river near Woodroffe sometime last week??? I was talking with someone about the birds seen in the little pond there, and she mentioned the same phrase about "making like a tree" to sneak up on the heron there!

That would be cool to think that I met you and didn't even know it! :-O

Click to expand...

Thank you.

Yuppers!

That's a phrase I coined back back in my childhood days ... discovered birds don't "see" you as fast if you walk straight toward them ... no side to side nonsense. So basically, you become as "a tree" in their field of vision. Trees may be there ... closer or further away ... but never "move" side to side. If you must move to the side; must do that when you're sure the bird is not watching you. If there are many birds, this is not really possible ... but still. There are days the method really pays off.

The crows won the day ... and appear to still be holding the territory. Judging by the end of the fight ... they won on sheer numbers and the Merlins gave up and flew off.

And there are very happy "little birds" twittering about the lagoon again ... the wood ducks are back too.

 

Catherine3678

Well-known member

• Aug 24, 2007

• #11

Dave B Smith said:

And very good photos! Congrats on the lifer.

Click to expand...

Thank you ... I walked about a mile following that bird to get those ... my mother does not understand this hobby ... "hokey smokey ... you walked a mile to see THAT" ... hehehe ... oh well.

And that day also there was this man in a canoe ... seemed everywhere I was aiming the camera to take pictures of the ducks, geese, etc ... there he was in the background. A mile down the river ... I realized that he was now canoeing towards me 'cause he couldn't see that bird from the distance and for a moment there I was concerned you know ... but thankfully I guessed he realized what I was doing and he didn't scare away the bird before I got the pictures. Life's little adventures.

...........................................

For those who want to see them I've uploaded some photos of this cute little bird to my Flickr albums.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/lavendarlady/sets/72157601636856336/

 

Last edited: Aug 25, 2007