This is forwarded from Frontiers of Bird Identification. I thought it
had something to say to TWEETERS.
Bob Norton
norton360 at aol.com


In a message dated 7/24/99 6:33:08 PM Pacific Daylight Time,
pabuckley at GSOSUN1.GSO.URI.EDU writes:

<<
In the last month or so, the following Siberian/Palaearctic shorebirds have
been credibly reported on the Atlantic coast. As is typical of southbound
shorebird vagrants early in the season, all have [probably] been
breeding-plumaged adults:

Wood Sandpiper in Maine
Red-necked Stint in Massachusetts
Little Stint at Cape May,

and earlier this week,

Spotted Redshank on Long Island, NY,

and then today,

Mongolian Plover in RI.

As well, there have already been several Ruffs in New England, more than
normal, although I am unaware of any Curlew Sandpipers, another July
speciality, yet.

[A Terek Sandpiper on Trinidad in this same period, only the second known
from South America, probably fits this model, as may the _variegatus_
Whimbrel found mid June in the California desert.]

While late June-July Siberian shorebirds are an expected and eagerly
awaited, near-annual phenomenon, the richness and widespread nature of this
array seems out of the ordinary.

Among the panoply of potential players on this stage, at one time or
another most Palaearctic shorebirds have already made it to the Atlantic
Coast. But those that have NOT yet done so, and which observers might do
well to be thinking about, include the following, some of which present
serious ID challenges:

Little Ringed Plover
Marsh Sandpiper
Green Sandpiper
Grey-tailed Tattler
Common Sandpiper
Little Curlew
Far Eastern Curlew
_melanuroides_ Black-tailed Godwit
Great Knot
Temminck's Stint
Long-toed Stint
Spoon-billed Sandpiper
[Eurasian] Common Snipe
Pintail Snipe, and
Oriental Pratincole.

Two other North American endemics that migrate long distances are also
overdue on the Atantic Coast, yet my guess is that most observers have
probably never considered them possible there:

Bristle-thighed Curlew, and
Surfbird.

But how many remember that Surfbird has occurred in Alberta, inland in
California, more than once in both Florida and Texas, and as close to the
Atlantic Coast as Presque Isle on Lake Erie, in PENNSYLVANIA?

The remaining three North American endemics that have never made it to the
Atlantic (or Gulf) Coast -- Black Turnstone, Black Oystercatcher, and Rock
Sandpiper -- have to date shown no history of long-distance vagrancy.

But still: how many of us have REALLY looked closely at wintering Purple
Sandpipers -- especially on the Great Lakes?

Finally, five more shorebirds with a good history of long-distance vagrancy
remain to be recorded anywhere in the Western Hemisphere. It's probably
only a matter of time, patience, skill, and luck before each is detected,
most more than likely as southbound adults in early to mid summer:

Greater Sandplover
Caspian Plover
Nordmann's Greenshank
Asiatic Dowitcher, and
Great Snipe.

And July used to be a such a dull time...
>>