I’ve had a lot of fun trying to capture shorebirds around the Outer Banks in the past month, but many times it was quite challenging trying to ID them in their non-breeding plumage, especially if shot at a distance.
Those interested in a great shorebird ID book, I recommend “The Shorebird Guide” (O’Brien, Crossley, Karlson). Also any help you can obtain from a pro-birder is a plus. (thanks HJ! Avian101)
Now on with the shorebirds. (And three new lifers for me!)
Killdeer (a plover)
Semipalmated Plover
Black-bellied Plover
American Golden-Plover
Herring Gull (juvenile)
Forster’s Tern
Sanderling
Least Sandpiper (new lifer #215)
Stilt Sandpipers (new lifer #216)
Greater Yellowlegs
Long-billed Dowitcher (new lifer #217)
Marbled Godwits and Willets
Close-up Marbled Godwits (pink/black bills) and Willets
Marbled Godwits and Lesser Yellowlegs
And finally, a funny shot of a Sanderling kicking sand, chasing another away from his little area.
