Birders,

A juvenile RUFF that I discovered late on September 24 at the south
end of Guichon Flats wetland (between Kamloops and Merritt on Highway
5A) was seen there again on September 25 and 26. It has been either by
itself or with a flock of 8 to 10 PECTORAL SANDPIPERS.

When I found the bird on the 24th, I was not 100% certain of the
identification, in part because I did not see the bird fly, and did
not see the distinctive rump pattern. However, on Monday, Syd Roberts
and Eric McAlary from Kamloops relocated the bird, and got great looks
including all field marks. Rick Howie and I could not relocate the
bird that evening, but Louise Rice of Kamloops found it again on
Tuesday (yesterday).

This is apparently the first record of RUFF for the Nicola Valley, and
only the second for the Kamloops latilong (area covered by the
Kamloops bird checklist.) Ruff sightings are very rare east of the
Cascades.

This sighting can be added to recent RUFF sightings at Vancouver and
Nanaimo, BC, and near Forest Grove, Oregon. I cannot recall if there
have been any sightings in Washington this fall, but if not, keep your
eyes peeled!

Wayne C. Weber
Kamloops, BC
wayne_weber at bc.sympatico.ca

-----Original Message-----
From: WAYNE WEBER <WAYNE_WEBER at bc.sympatico.ca>
To: BCINTBIRD <bcintbird at egroups.com>
Date: Sunday, September 24, 2000 9:13 PM
Subject: PROBABLE RUFF AT GUICHON FLATS. SEPT. 24


>Birders,
>
>At about 6 PM this evening, while birding at Guichon Flats (between
>Nicola Lake and Stump Lake on Highway 5A), I saw what I am at least
>80% sure was a juvenile RUFF. The bird was watched for a minute or
two
>at a considerable distance (200 to 250 metres), but disappeared
before
>I could get closer.
>
>It was near a group of Long-billed Dowitchers, and was about the size
>of a dowitcher. It had rather long legs which were distinctly
>yellowish (bird seen in sunlight, with the sun more or less behind
>me.) The face and breast were buffy, fading to whitish on the
abdomen,
>and appeared to be unstreaked. The neck was rather long, especially
>when the bird pulled up into an "alert" posture briefly. The bill was
>much shorter than a dowitcher's and appeared straight or nearly so.
>The upperparts were brown with distinct whitish feather-edges on the
>wing coverts, hence I am calling it a juvenile. I did not see the
bird
>fly; the rump pattern, if seen, would have clinched the
>identification.
>
>The probable Ruff was first seen among other shorebirds on a sandy
>island near the south end of Guichon Flats (i.e., near the lower
dam),
>but could not be studied well because of the distance and because I
>was looking into the light. Later, it appeared on the shore on the
>east side of the marsh (i.e., next to Highway 5A), south of the
>parking area. Most of the dowitchers were farther north, closer to
the
>parking area.
>
>I spent an hour trying to relocate the Ruff, but with no luck.
>However, I suspect it did not leave the area, and may stick around
for
>a day or two (there are no approaching storm systems). If someone has
>a chance to look for this bird in the next day or two, I would be
very
>happy if they can relocate it and confirm the identification!
>
>Other shorebirds present at Guichon Flats were:
>
>Killdeer 2
>Lesser Yellowlegs 1 (late)
>Pectoral Sandpiper 6
>Long-billed Dowitcher 45
>
>Wayne C. Weber
>Kamloops, BC
>wayne_weber at bc.sympatico.ca
>
>