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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Ian_H" data-source="post: 1473349" data-attributes="member: 71489">Good Evening,This is just a few notes on my personal observations of the bird - all be them fairly distant / but on three different occassions.I am now resident in Devon, having returned from living in Missouri for severn years. Semi-p being a common bird on the Mississippi flyway during both migrations, Western being a birds I would expect to see a few adults in Spring and about 15 birds in Autumn. This however, should also be coloured by the fact that I have not seen a little stint in eight years!!or the fact that I do not need either for my British list (so do not want to see one species over another).I did on one occasion thing I saw semi-palmations so the discussion really has to be limited to these two species (one guy at the site today started talking hybrid ... please ....)The bill is within the bounds of my experience of both - but extreme for semi-p. The downward curve is very little indeed - and most westerns would show more downward curve. However, the lack of a 'bulbous' tip is rare for semi-p (a very good pro western feature).Structurally, alot of semi-p's to my eyes have a 'center of gravity' lower down/ less far forward than most peeps ... but that is only something good for picking out the obvious birds to show to beginning birders on walks etc. However, the dunlin like profile (all be it much smaller in size) does not rule for or against either species.The super does meet to form a white forehead above the bill ... a pro-western feature but nothing more. The breast streaking is more substancial than the majority of spring winter semi-p's in Missouri (the beginning of the Spring migration sees birds migrating still in largely in winter dress/ by late May many are in full summer plum). However, the Devon bird streaking is not as extensive as many / most Westerns we picked out on the Mississippi (was that because we were overlooking them for 'classic birds?).Today, watching the bird being pushed by the in coming tide with a flock of c60 dunlin, it was often amongst the last birds to fly - ie. was not adverse to having most of its legs covered with water. In Missouri, one of the tricks for looking for a western was to look at that part of the flocks in the deepest water / not picking in the mud. Westerns tended to do less feeding on pure mud and more in water. Only circumstancial rubbish the last paragraph I know.This bird has many pro-western features - but all are within the bounds of semi-p. If you held a gun to my head I would plead for more time. However, if I was betting I would favour slightly Western. All clear as the mud it was feeding on?!?</blockquote>

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