| Common Name | Western Sandpiper |
|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Calidris mauri |
| Type of Report | Rare Species |
| Date of Observation | 08/24/2022 |
| Number Observed | 1 |
| Reporting Observer's Name | Fred Pratt |
| Mailing Address | unknown unknown unknown, VT unknown United States Map It |
| Email hidden; Javascript is required. | |
| Date Completed | 08/29/2022 |
| Names & Emails of Other Contributing Observers | Jon Erickson, (function(){var ml="sc0ni4r%d.jkueomv",mi=":>39=641;0>3752<@?9=8<",o="";for(var j=0,l=mi.length;j<l;j++){o+=ml.charAt(mi.charCodeAt(j)-48);}document.getElementById("wpmt-709268-3862").innerHTML = decodeURIComponent(o);}());*protected email* |
| Latitude of Observation (enter 0 if unable to provide) | 44.149593 |
| Longitude of Observation (enter 0 if unable to provide) | -73.319648 |
| Place Name | Dead Creek-Panton Road Crossing |
| Township | Panton |
| County | Addison |
| Vermont eBird Checklist URL | ebird.org |
| Time of Day | 11:32 AM |
| Length of Time Observed | 21 |
| Maximum Estimated Distance from Bird (in feet) | 150 |
| Minimum Estimated Distance from Bird (in feet) | 40 |
| Noteworthy Weather Conditions | mostly sunny, calm, mid 70s F |
| Optical Equipment Used for Observation | unknown-RSD completed from email sent to Vermont Bird Records Committee |
| Observer’s Previous Acquaintance With This or Similar Species | I have seen Western Sandpipers in multiple states (Arizona, Texas, Florida, New Mexico, California, Louisiana, and Delaware as well as once previously in Vermont). And I have seen them at one time or another in every month of the year. So it is a bird that I am quite familiar with. |
| I certify that any attachments included with this report were captured during this observation event. | |
| Verbal Narrative & Description of Observation | Seen first by Jon Erickson before my arrival -he yelled something about a possible Western Sandpiper which led me to undertake a treacherous "death march" out to his vantage point (his description of the bird he had seen was :spot on" for a Western). Eventually, he refound the bird standing next to a Semipalmated Sandpiper. They were similar in size, clearly larger than the other peep. They both had black legs and no primary projection beyond the tail. But the bills of the two birds were very different. The bill of the Semi was straight and at best of medium length; the bill of the Western was obviously longer, thinner, and clearly down-turned at the tip. Further the scapulars of the Western were more patterned and showed a richer wedge of pattern on the upper scapulars. Jon was able to determine that this "wedge" was tinged with rufous when he had seen the bird earlier at close range. What I saw certainly seemed to confirm that but all I can say with certainty is that I could see a richer, darker coloration on the upper scapulars. The underparts of the Western were white to whitish and showed a soft brown partial breast band. All these characteristics speak to a juvenile Western Sandpiper. The only other similar sandpiper of this size would be White-rumped, but it has a much "longer -bodied" look with prominent primary projection which the Western clearly lacked. |
| Relative Size & Shape | see Verbal Narrative & Description of Observation |
| Head | see Verbal Narrative & Description of Observation |
| Feet & Bill | see Verbal Narrative & Description of Observation |
| Upper Back | see Verbal Narrative & Description of Observation |
| Lower Back & Rump | see Verbal Narrative & Description of Observation |
| Wings | see Verbal Narrative & Description of Observation |
| Breast, Belly, Flanks, Under Tail Coverts | see Verbal Narrative & Description of Observation |
| Tail | see Verbal Narrative & Description of Observation |
| IMPORTANT: What similar species were eliminated when making the identification and how was this bird different? | see Verbal Narrative & Description of Observation |
| This report was written from notes taken: | Immediately After |
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