Sunday, November 28, 2010

Smaller Shorebirds

A couple of weeks ago while out at Inskip Point I took some photos of a group of Ruddy Turnstones (Arenaria interpres), Sanderlings (Calidris alba), and a Red-necked Stint (Calidris ruficollis). I have only seen Ruddy Turnstones and Sanderlings at Inskip - not further south on the bay. A group of 5 of both were walking along the edge of the water out on the far side of the sand island at low tide. The photos that I took give a good opportunity to compare the sizes of all 3 species of bird. In the first photo the Ruddy Turnstones are the darker colored birds at the rear of the photo and the Red-necked Stint is right in the foreground - and unfortunately a little out of focus. It is also interesting to see a range of plumage on the birds as they had recently returned from their breeding areas up north and were still changing into non-breeding plumage. All photos enlarge when clicked on and I have left the photos quite large. No Red-necked Stint in this photo.
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6 comments:

  1. Wonderful first image Mick. This is perfect for showing the size and plumage differences in Stints and Sanderlings. We're still waiting for our first Sanderling sighting this summer down here. Hopefully it wont be too much longer.

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  2. always good to see. I already long for next season. :)

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  3. Great shots of the shorebirds Mick! It's interesting to see the different stages of plumage, especially the Ruddy Turnstones.

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  4. Thanks Mark, I always find photos helpful where I can see different birds standing together. Hope some Sanderlings turn up soon down your way.
    Hi NatureFootstep. It's fun watching the seasons change with the different birds on different sides of the world.
    Thanks Larry. I did wonder if one of those could have been a juvenile but it could also just be an adult in very new plumage. I can's see the details around the head to tell.

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  5. Out here we see a lot of the sanderlings and the turnstones. As someone who is relatively new to birding, I really appreciate seeing the variety of birds together for comparison.

    Kat

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  6. Hi Kat, photos that compared birds was one thing that I found very hard to find when I was starting learning about shorebirds also. It's interesting that you have those two birds over your way also.

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