[MASSBIRD] Common Ringed Plover at Sandy Point 5/21
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Tim Factor
May 21, 2013, 9:33:03 AM5/21/13
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We are looking at a bird now in the cove at Sandy Point that shares all field marks with the bird photographed by Suzanne Sullivan yesterday. Not heard yet.
Tim Factor
tef...@gmail.com
Boston
Tim Factor
May 21, 2013, 3:31:02 PM5/21/13
to MASSBIRD
Some more info about this morning's bird. I believe people who left Sandy Point before about 9 or arrived after about 10 missed it (high tide at 8:30). Thanks to Steve Grinley for getting word to at least some of those who'd left early. It spent most of the hour at the top of the cove to the west of the point but was last seen on the ocean side before flying off to the south.
Everyone present was confident that we were looking at the same bird Suzanne Sullivan photographed yesterday. Compared to Semipalmated Plovers in the vicinity it was somewhat larger (more distinctly larger in flight) and heftier, wider white wing stripe seen in flight, longer bill, brighter legs, no yellow orbital ring, more contrast and clearer border between head and face, more conspicuous supercillium, broader and more uniformly shaped breast band. It did appear to vocalize but too much distance and background noise kept me from hearing it; maybe others had better luck. Others took lots of photos that I expect we'll be seeing soon.
It isn't a hard bird to find amongst SEPLs if you know it's there but not everyone would think to look for it in the first place; congrats and thanks to Suzanne for looking.
Everyone present was confident that we were looking at the same bird Suzanne Sullivan photographed yesterday. Compared to Semipalmated Plovers in the vicinity it was somewhat larger (more distinctly larger in flight) and heftier, wider white wing stripe seen in flight, longer bill, brighter legs, no yellow orbital ring, more contrast and clearer border between head and face, more conspicuous supercillium, broader and more uniformly shaped breast band. It did appear to vocalize but too much distance and background noise kept me from hearing it; maybe others had better luck. Others took lots of photos that I expect we'll be seeing soon.
It isn't a hard bird to find amongst SEPLs if you know it's there but not everyone would think to look for it in the first place; congrats and thanks to Suzanne for looking.
Otherwise a wonderfully birdy day on the Island with tons of warblers and other migrants in the trees at the Pines and Hellcat. No Little Gull seen in a quick scan at Joppa Park on the way home.
Tim Factor
Boston
Jason Forbes
May 21, 2013, 5:00:45 PM5/21/13
to massbird
I was one of the ones who took lots of photos (sure picked a good week to use up some vacation time). Six of them are here: http://flic.kr/s/aHsjFc2DPe. These were the first ones that popped out, I have another hundred or so to look through and will probably add some later (as well as uploading the videos of it running).
I'll echo what Tim said, once you saw the bird, it was fairly obvious (when we lost track of it, someone would usually pick it out with binoculars pretty quickly). However, I'm sure I would have gone right past it if I wasn't look for it, major congratulations to Suzanne for checking every bird.
Jason
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Jason Forbes
Waltham, MA
ja...@brewsterslinnet.com
www.brewsterslinnet.com
I'll echo what Tim said, once you saw the bird, it was fairly obvious (when we lost track of it, someone would usually pick it out with binoculars pretty quickly). However, I'm sure I would have gone right past it if I wasn't look for it, major congratulations to Suzanne for checking every bird.
Jason
--
Jason Forbes
Waltham, MA
ja...@brewsterslinnet.com
www.brewsterslinnet.com
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