Sand Plover - Oman March 2017 (1 Viewer)

[PeterHD]

Hi fellow birders,

On the beach in Northern Oman (Shangri-La Hotel near Muscat) I saw 4 sand plovers on March 9th. I suspect they are Lesser Sand Plover (Charadrius mongolus) but I am not sure (could also be Greater Sand Plover (Charadrius leschenaultii)). On the beach there was a Common Sandpiper too and I think it was similar in size.

Is ID possible from these pics? One was a little lighter than the others...

Thanks in advance!

Peter

 

[MJB]

Hi fellow birders,

On the beach in Northern Oman (Shangri-La Hotel near Muscat) I saw 4 sand plovers on March 9th. I suspect they are Lesser Sand Plover (Charadrius mongolus) but I am not sure (could also be Greater Sand Plover (Charadrius leschenaultii)). On the beach there was a Common Sandpiper too and I think it was similar in size.

Is ID possible from these pics? One was a little lighter than the others...

Thanks in advance!

Peter

If it is Greater Sandplover, ssp columbinus is the smallest and has often been confused with Lesser Sandplover. I'll leave those with Oman experience to comment further!
MJB
PS Although IOC have not yet split Lesser Sandplover, there appears to be some merit in assigning only sspp atrifrons & pamirensis to that name, and under Mongolian Sandplover placing mongolus, schaeferi and stegmanni.

 

[andyb39]

Just to be clear, how many different individuals are there here?

 

[Dimitris]

I think there's two birds.

The first one is IMO GSP on account of the robust beak whose length exceeds the distance between the base of the bill and the eye. Long tibia, long legs in general, steep forehead and attenuated appearance.

The second bird may be a LSP as the beak is shorter, less robust, the tibia shorter and the bird more compact. The images are not great, however, so I wouldn't call this a 100% definite.

 

[PeterHD]

Hi - thanks for your comments.
And yes, I think these are two individual birds.
I tried selecting the best shots from a long series of pictures. I can go back and look for better views of particular details. What should I look after? Any particular part of the birds or angels you think could be helpful? (I have no flight pictures...)
Best, Peter

 

[Dimitris]

Hi - thanks for your comments.
And yes, I think these are two individual birds.
I tried selecting the best shots from a long series of pictures. I can go back and look for better views of particular details. What should I look after? Any particular part of the birds or angels you think could be helpful? (I have no flight pictures...)
Best, Peter

A clear, in focus shot of the bird from/near ground level will allow you to get the proportions right (or well better).

Proportions are really how you identify the Sand Plovers.

 

[johnallcock]

I think there's two birds.

The first one is IMO GSP on account of the robust beak whose length exceeds the distance between the base of the bill and the eye. Long tibia, long legs in general, steep forehead and attenuated appearance.

The second bird may be a LSP as the beak is shorter, less robust, the tibia shorter and the bird more compact. The images are not great, however, so I wouldn't call this a 100% definite.

I would have said the other way. For me the first bird has a small, front-heavy, large-eyed appearance I would associate with atrifrons-group LSP and a rather blunt-tipped bill.
The second bird I find more problematic. The bill looks rather small, slender and fine-tipped, and my first response was that this may be columbinus, but I have no experience of that taxon. Hopefully others with experience can comment.

PS Although IOC have not yet split Lesser Sandplover, there appears to be some merit in assigning only sspp atrifrons & pamirensis to that name, and under Mongolian Sandplover placing mongolus, schaeferi and stegmanni.

I strongly agree with the split, but I'm not sure I agree with this treatment. Schaeferi has much more in common with the atrifrons-group (plumage, proportions, range) than with the mongolus-group.
I'm actually amazed that none of the main listing authorities have implemented this split yet.

 

[andyb39]

The reason I asked how many birds were involved is that the "bill measurement" method only comes out in favour of GSP for the 1st image but not for the 2nd and 3rd. If all 3 images show the same bird, then I'd suggest it's a matter of angle. I agree with John about the "tipping forward" stance of this bird. Also, the legs appear to be black.

I'm really not sure about the pale bird. I'd expect columbinus to have a longer bill than this. You can make a comparison with some of the images here:

https://www.smugmug.com/gallery/n-3Xhnt/i-S2Xt8cv

Some birds in the Gulf have more blob-ended bills, which I think might make them scythicus (formerly crassirostris?), but the majority (columbinus?) seem to have quite a long, straight bill, sometimes coming to quite a sharp point, e.g. image 18.

On the other hand, it does seem to have greenish legs.

 

[Cardmines52]

Wow, incredible pictures.