| Common Name | Sanderling |
|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Calidris alba |
| Type of Report | Out-of-Season |
| Date of Observation | 06/10/2024 |
| Number Observed | 8 |
| Reporting Observer's Name | Allan Strong |
| Mailing Address | 9 Sebring Road South Burlington, VT 05403 United States Map It |
| Email hidden; Javascript is required. | |
| Date Completed | 10/12/2024 |
| Latitude of Observation (enter 0 if unable to provide) | 44.531349 |
| Longitude of Observation (enter 0 if unable to provide) | -73.281046 |
| Place Name | Mouth of Winooski River (Delta Park) |
| Township | Colchester |
| County | Chittenden |
| Vermont eBird Checklist URL | ebird.org |
| Time of Day | 05:15 PM |
| Length of Time Observed | ~10 min |
| Maximum Estimated Distance from Bird (in feet) | 2112 |
| Minimum Estimated Distance from Bird (in feet) | 2112 |
| Noteworthy Weather Conditions | NW wind > 10 mph |
| Optical Equipment Used for Observation | Kowa TSN2 15-60 x 82 |
| Observer’s Previous Acquaintance With This or Similar Species | Have seen many times in both breeding and non-breeding plumage. |
| I certify that any attachments included with this report were captured during this observation event. | |
| Description of Habitat | Sandy island north of the mouth of the river. |
| Behaviors Observed | The sandpipers were feeding on the sandy island and were also observed in flight. |
| Verbal Narrative & Description of Observation | I was standing on the bike bridge over the Winooski River looking at the sandy island through my spotting scope. Sanderlings had been reported here off an on for the last week or so, which is the species I was looking for. I was really not able to get much on the birds when they were feeding on the island with the exception of the Semipalmated Plover, which was easily identifiable. I suspected I was looking at Sanderlings, but I became more certain when they took off and made several passes around the island and over open water. In flight, I could easily pick out one White-rumped Sandpiper (bright white rump), and the whole group of 9 birds appeared to be about the same size. When the birds banked, the non-WRSAs all had a broad white stripe in their wing, which led me to conclude I was looking at Sanderlings. The Sanderlings also appeared to be in a mix of plumages. Six looked very white (still non-breeding plumage) and two looked darker (breeding). |
| IMPORTANT: What similar species were eliminated when making the identification and how was this bird different? | I eliminated other small shorebirds based on the similarity in size to the White-rumped Sandpiper (Sibley: 7.3" length, 16.9" wing for WRSA, 7.9" length, 16.9" wing for SAND) and the white stripe in the wing. That I was seeing both lighter, very whitish (non-breeding) and darker (breeding) led me away from Dunlin, which also have a broad white wing stripe. I feel pretty confident in the ID, but I will admit that with the wind, it was challenging viewing conditions and I wasn't thinking that this observation was particularly unusual while I was looking at the birds (see below). |
| Other Notes & Comments | I didn't realize there were no June records for VT until Jacob Crawford contacted me and asked me to submit an RSD. June records are common in MA and NH, which may not be a fair comparison because of their coastline. I looked at records from upstate NY (Monroe County) and the peak week for spring migration is the first week of June. Thus, this date doesn't seem too out of the ordinary. |
| This report was written from notes taken: | Written from Memory |
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