Shore birds

[JayinMN]

Taken a couple weeks ago in Duluth.

[Steve Foss]

Nice work, man. Really looking forward to seeing the rest of what you sort out of this summer's 10,000 images!

[captainshane]

Those are sharp!

[reinhard1]

all i can say is awesome!!!great work. good luck.

[ShawnZ]

Great low shooting angle Jason. The light quality is excellent as well.

I "think" I know where you managed these fine frames

Now, how about some id's....?

[JayinMN]

Great low shooting angle Jason. The light quality is excellent as well.

I "think" I know where you managed these fine frames

Now, how about some id's....?

Yeah I think I saw you at that spot once!

I left those id's out cause I am not sure of the little guy.

First 2 are lesser yellow legs. 2nd I think is a Least Sandpiper? and the last I consulted an expert and they said "black bellied plover in non-breeding plumage"

What is the second, I thought it was a Bairds but now I am going with least?

[Dbl]

Very nice work.

[finnbay]

I really like this style of photography. I've tried a bit, but gettin' down onto my belly isn't as easy as it used to be!

[ShawnZ]

#3 and #4, definitely least sandpiper. Confusing the id just a bit is the fact that bird's legs don't look yellow, they look blackish, like a Baird's sandpiper. They are probably just wet and or muddy. The slight "droop" at the end of the bill is another classic feature that indicates least sandpiper. This particular bird is a juvenile least's. The extent of rufuous coloring and the fresher looking plumage, (very little fraying at the ends of the feathers) indicates juvenile. Adults seen during fall migration, particularly this late in fall migration will look less descript in color, will show much less rufous coloration, and will definitely show worn feathers as they molt into basic plumage. Also, Baird's sandpipers will not show rufous coloration like this, they will be buffier tan/light brown, and their primaries (on a side profile) will typically extend noticeably past the tail.

[Borealhunter]

I think Shawn meant is that Least Sandpiper and Semi-palmated Sandpipers can be tough at times and Shawn is right that Least Sandpiper tend to be more rusty-brown in color vs. Semi-palmated Sandpipers which are more gray-brown over all. Also Shawn is correct that Least Sandpiper have thin bills that droop at the tip and Semi-palmated Sandpipers are straight black bills with no droop and the legs on Semi are black and Least can vary in color but tend to always be yellow-brown in color but can look darker if they are wading in dark mud.

Baird's Sandpiper are tad larger than Semi-palmated Sandpipers or at least longer from bill tip to wing tip. The wing tips of the Bairds go beyond the tail and cross over at times like scissors. Also the over all plumage on Bairds are very uniform and look scaly in appearance. Bairds and White-rump Sandpipers can be difficult at times to separate like Least and Semi-palmateds.

Morgan Park mudflats have been very good this fall season with low water levels exposing the mudflats.

Great photos as always Jason!

[ShawnZ]

Actually, I think "Shawn" said exactly what "Shawn" meant to say. Boreal Hunter, if you go back and re-read the posts in this thread, you will see that the poster of this thread was questioning wether or not the bird in the third and fourth photos was a Least Sandpiper or a Baird's Sandpiper. My response was geared to address that line of questioning. I specifically did not bring semi palmated sandpiper into the discussion because 1: The poster did not bring semi palmated into the discussion, the id for him was between bairds and least, and 2: the bird is clearly a least sandpiper. So, rather than expand the conversation to a bird that is not pictured and had not as of yet been brought up, I omitted mentioning it as a consideration. Now, by all means, you are welcome to bring it up as a completely worthwhile consideration, for it certainly is. However, you can do that of your own accord without implying that is what "Shawn meant" to say, when frankly, it is not what "Shawn" meant.

[Borealhunter]

There are very noticeable differences in Least Sandpipers and Baird's Sandpipers in all plumages of molts. Yes Baird's was brought up by the original poster and I felt that the two species most people get confused on are Least and Semipalmated Sandpipers. I also wanted to add more field marks to Bairds Sandpiper to the post to help anyone who really cares about the identification marks of the three species mention. Bairds Sandpipers are usually brightly scaled in appearance with a longer black bill that is some what curved. If you have all 3 species in view... Bairds will be the largest then Semi-palmated and then Least.

Northeastern Minnesota is a lousy part of the state to view shorebirds in numbers since we are off the migration path for shorebirds but we get a few flocks of shorebirds on rice paddies, sewage ponds, lake shorelines and mud flats on the St. Louis River. To view larger concentrations in Minnesota flooded fields in western Minnesota and sewage ponds can hold up to many hundreds of shorebirds and species as well.

In my humble opinion Bairds Sandpipers in the Duluth area are mostly found along Lake Superior shore mixed in with Sanderlings and you can occasionally in the spring see Least and Semi-palmateds along the shores of Lake Superior. 40th Ave West mudlfats or ponds use to be the only place in the Duluth area that had very concentrations of the shorebirds but since the I-35 Hwy project they closed it off to the general public. So Morgan Park mudflats sort of replaced 40th Ave West for people who want to view shorebirds.

To get to Morgan Park mudflats to photograph shorebirds, Bonaparte's Gull and terns that uses the mudflats here are the directions:

1. Take I-35 and get off on the Hwy 23 / Grand Avenue exit and head west going past the Duluth Zoo.

2. Take a left at the stop light intersection for Morgan Park

3. Follow 88th Ave (main drag ) and go past the S.A. gas station for few blocks. At the large intersection take a left on Falcon Street.

4. go past the community center and hockey rink.

5. you will come to street that is going east -west and here you will cross over the that street.

6. Falcon Street will go down a small hill that bends west. The road comes to a dead end in front of a stand of woods.

7. Take the trail down to the RR tracks and walk east (towards Duluth)

8. When you come to the point where you can see the St. Louis River the mudflats are along the east side of the small point that juts out into the St. Louis River.

* Bring waders if you want to walk out to the mudflats to photograph the birds.

* Bring a scope if you want to just view the birds from the tracks.

* Watch the weather because south, SW or west winds are good as the winds push the water away from the mudflats and strong east winds will push the water over the mudflats and you might not see any birds. Also high rainfall will do the same thing.

I am just using my experience as a long time birder to help people who are interested in birds. I may not be the greatest photographer in the world and have a lot to learn but I try to make that up by using my skills and experience as a long time birder to help people. I was NOT purposely trying to offend Shawn but add some more insights to Jay's & Shawn comments. If Shawn felt I was stepping on his toes.. well I wasn't. Again reading posts and comments in forums of any kind is tough because some people take things wrong or come to conclusions that are way off base.

I am only trying to help out.

Mike Hendrickson

Duluth

[JayinMN]

I am certianly no bird expert but I thought it was a Baird's Sandpipers at first due to the color of its legs.

[Borealhunter]

Jay:

Everything is ok. Peeps are tough to identify and I just wanted to add some more insights on what I know of sandpipers. Semi-palmated and Baird's both have dark bills and legs and so do Western Sandpipers and White-rumped Sandpipers. Some have curve bills and some are blunt and non-curved. Each species of peeps have hues of browns and grays on the upper parts. Some are slightly bigger and small then each other. Its tough to separate them apart from each other and taking photographs is one way to figure them out using a field guide.

While birding under Kim Eckert he spent more time teaching me about separating Semis and Least Sandpipers because truthfully Bairds Sandpiper is pretty much a straight forward species to identify because of the wing length and pattern of upper parts.

But anyway enough about sandpiper talk..I was just trying to help.

Mike

[Chad Peterson]

Nice pictures Jay. Love the colors on those birds.

Sniffer

[MN Shutterbug]

Whatever they are, they are some beauts. I just gotta get out of town and make a road trip. Green really isn't my color and these shots make me envious. Squaw Creek NWR is sounding pretty inviting right now. Or, maybe Sand Lake NWR, which is a lot closer. Jay, you have inspired me.

[eyeguy 54]

nice birdies :>)