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Yes, I was the The Guzzle. Sorry for not including that information in
the first email---I'll blame the omission on a toddler who interrupted
me several times!
Sydney
On 08/28/2010 10:58 PM, James W. Wolford wrote:
> Sydney, were you at The Guzzle (east end of Long Island, Grand Pre)
> where you got these great looks at the shorebirds? Thanks from Jim in
> Wolfville, who more frequently prowls the eastern part of Evangeline
> Beach on foot.
>
> Begin forwarded message:
>
>> *From: *Sydney Penner <sfp@sydneypenner.ca <mailto:sfp@sydneypenner.ca>>
>> *Date: *August 28, 2010 6:31:26 PM ADT
>> *To: *NS-RBA@yahoogroups.com <mailto:NS-RBA@yahoogroups.com>
>> *Cc: *naturens@chebucto.ns.ca <mailto:naturens@chebucto.ns.ca>
>> *Subject: **[NatureNS] Western Sandpiper and others at Grand Pre*
>> *Reply-To: *naturens@chebucto.ns.ca <mailto:naturens@chebucto.ns.ca>
>>
>> I spent several rewarding hours at Grand Pre close to high tide this
>> afternoon (Aug. 28). The overall number of shorebirds was much lower
>> than on my previous visits (it looked like most of the Semipalmated
>> Sandpipers had moved on), but the number of species was better than
>> I've seen before and the birds often came really close to me.
>>
>> Here's the list of shorebirds I saw (estimates are quick and dirty
>> for anything over a handful of individuals):
>>
>> Black-bellied Plover -- 3
>> American Golden-Plover -- 1
>> Semipalmated Plover -- 50
>> Ruddy Turnstone -- 2 juveniles (I think I also saw a flying adult,
>> but not sure)
>> Sanderling -- 4
>> Semipalmated Sandpiper -- 100
>> WESTERN SANDPIPER -- 1 (there were actually several individuals which
>> looked suspiciously like Westerns, but I'm only sure about one)
>> Least Sandpiper -- 60
>> White-rumped Sandpiper -- 1
>>
>> I got a fantastic, extended view of the Western from about thirty
>> feet away. It was also close to several Semipalmated and Least
>> Sandpipers, providing a great chance to compare the species. It was a
>> juvenile with upper scapulars edged in rufous and lower scapulars
>> gray with dark anchor with white/offwhite edging. It had a
>> significantly longer bill than the other sandpipers around it. The
>> bill drooped slightly. Black legs. The face was relatively pale,
>> though within the range for Semipalmated Sandpipers.
>>
>> Now a question for those well-versed in sandpiper plumages: Sibley's
>> mentions that Westerns molt earlier than Semipalmateds. The
>> suggestion seems to be that birds that are mostly or entirely molted
>> into nonbreeding plumage by this time of the year are likely to be
>> Westerns. But am I right in thinking that around here -- where
>> Westerns are rare -- a nonbreeding plumaged bird in August is still
>> more likely to be an early-molting Semipalmated than a Western? The
>> reason I ask is because I saw one or two birds that had almost
>> entirely finished molting (they still had a few black scapulars with
>> the edging worn off among the gray) that had relatively long,
>> drooping bills that made me suspect Western. But I know that bill
>> lengths can be variable and I wasn't sure how much to make of the
>> fact that they were this far along with molting.
>>
>> Best wishes,
>> Sydney Penner
>>
>> 114 Willow Ave.
>> Berwick, NS
>
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Yes, I was the The Guzzle. Sorry for not including that information
in the first email---I'll blame the omission on a toddler who
interrupted me several times!<br>
<br>
Sydney<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
On 08/28/2010 10:58 PM, James W. Wolford wrote:
<blockquote
cite="mid:DB4073DE-08D6-49F6-8A23-6D1089AFC6D0@eastlink.ca"
type="cite">
Sydney, were you at The Guzzle (east end of Long Island, Grand
Pre) where you got these great looks at the shorebirds? Thanks
from Jim in Wolfville, who more frequently prowls the eastern part
of Evangeline Beach on foot. <br>
<div><br>
<div>Begin forwarded message:</div>
<br class="Apple-interchange-newline">
<blockquote type="cite">
<div style="margin: 0px;"><font style="font: 12px Helvetica;
color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" color="#000000" face="Helvetica"
size="3"><b>From: </b></font><font style="font: 12px
Helvetica;" face="Helvetica" size="3">Sydney Penner <<a
moz-do-not-send="true" href="mailto:sfp@sydneypenner.ca">sfp@sydneypenner.ca</a>></font></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;"><font style="font: 12px Helvetica;
color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" color="#000000" face="Helvetica"
size="3"><b>Date: </b></font><font style="font: 12px
Helvetica;" face="Helvetica" size="3">August 28, 2010
6:31:26 PM ADT</font></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;"><font style="font: 12px Helvetica;
color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" color="#000000" face="Helvetica"
size="3"><b>To: </b></font><font style="font: 12px
Helvetica;" face="Helvetica" size="3"><a
moz-do-not-send="true"
href="mailto:NS-RBA@yahoogroups.com">NS-RBA@yahoogroups.com</a></font></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;"><font style="font: 12px Helvetica;
color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" color="#000000" face="Helvetica"
size="3"><b>Cc: </b></font><font style="font: 12px
Helvetica;" face="Helvetica" size="3"><a
moz-do-not-send="true"
href="mailto:naturens@chebucto.ns.ca">naturens@chebucto.ns.ca</a></font></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;"><font style="font: 12px Helvetica;
color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" color="#000000" face="Helvetica"
size="3"><b>Subject: </b></font><font style="font: 12px
Helvetica;" face="Helvetica" size="3"><b>[NatureNS]
Western Sandpiper and others at Grand Pre</b></font></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;"><font style="font: 12px Helvetica;
color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" color="#000000" face="Helvetica"
size="3"><b>Reply-To: </b></font><font style="font: 12px
Helvetica;" face="Helvetica" size="3"><a
moz-do-not-send="true"
href="mailto:naturens@chebucto.ns.ca">naturens@chebucto.ns.ca</a></font></div>
<div style="margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><br>
</div>
<div style="margin: 0px;"><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>I
spent several rewarding hours at Grand Pre close to high
tide this afternoon (Aug. 28). The overall number of
shorebirds was much lower than on my previous visits (it
looked like most of the Semipalmated Sandpipers had moved
on), but the number of species was better than I've seen
before and the birds often came really close to me.</div>
<div style="margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><br>
</div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">Here's the list of shorebirds I saw
(estimates are quick and dirty for anything over a handful
of individuals):</div>
<div style="margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><br>
</div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">Black-bellied Plover -- 3</div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">American Golden-Plover -- 1</div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">Semipalmated Plover -- 50</div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">Ruddy Turnstone -- 2 juveniles (I
think I also saw a flying adult, but not sure)</div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">Sanderling -- 4</div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">Semipalmated Sandpiper -- 100</div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">WESTERN SANDPIPER -- 1 (there were
actually several individuals which looked suspiciously like
Westerns, but I'm only sure about one)</div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">Least Sandpiper -- 60</div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">White-rumped Sandpiper -- 1</div>
<div style="margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><br>
</div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">I got a fantastic, extended view of
the Western from about thirty feet away. It was also close
to several Semipalmated and Least Sandpipers, providing a
great chance to compare the species. It was a juvenile with
upper scapulars edged in rufous and lower scapulars gray
with dark anchor with white/offwhite edging. It had a
significantly longer bill than the other sandpipers around
it. The bill drooped slightly. Black legs. The face was
relatively pale, though within the range for Semipalmated
Sandpipers.</div>
<div style="margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><br>
</div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">Now a question for those well-versed
in sandpiper plumages: Sibley's mentions that Westerns molt
earlier than Semipalmateds. The suggestion seems to be that
birds that are mostly or entirely molted into nonbreeding
plumage by this time of the year are likely to be Westerns.
But am I right in thinking that around here -- where
Westerns are rare -- a nonbreeding plumaged bird in August
is still more likely to be an early-molting Semipalmated
than a Western? The reason I ask is because I saw one or two
birds that had almost entirely finished molting (they still
had a few black scapulars with the edging worn off among the
gray) that had relatively long, drooping bills that made me
suspect Western. But I know that bill lengths can be
variable and I wasn't sure how much to make of the fact that
they were this far along with molting.</div>
<div style="margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><br>
</div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">Best wishes,</div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">Sydney Penner</div>
<div style="margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><br>
</div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">114 Willow Ave.</div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">Berwick, NS</div>
</blockquote>
</div>
<br>
</blockquote>
<br>
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