Probable Little Stint--SJCR
August 10, 1995

In with a small flock of Western Sandpipers today at the
Parking lot C shorebird flats was an odd stint. It stood out in
part because it was being beaten up by the other shorebirds.
Most notable were the short, blunt bill and the apparent lack
of webbing between the toes.

Size: slightly smaller than attendent Westerns
Forehead and crown: Rufous-brown
Supercillium: buffy
Bill: Short, straight,blunt and black
Ear coverts and nape: Brown-gray
Chin and Throat were white. Buffy wash at pectorals. Belly white.
Feathers of the wing coverts were dark-brown centered with buff
to rufous fringes. Pale edges to the feathers of the mantle
left a pattern impression similar to Least Sandpiper.
Legs: black, toes apparently lacked webbing.

A big flock of angry terns came up off the river beach,
frightening the flock away before I could get to details
relating to primary projection and extreme feather detail.

I can state absolutely that this was not a Western or Least
Sandpiper and probably not a Semipalmated Sandpiper.
It could have been a juvenile Rufous-necked Stint, I suppose,
but bright back pattern is theorectically indicative of Little
Stint.




--
******************************** Americans will always do the right thing...
* Mike Patterson, Astoria, OR * after they've exhausted all the alternatives.
* mpatters at ednet1.osl.or.gov * --W. Churchill
********************************