Subject: [Tweeters] White-rumped Sandpipers @ Toppenish NWR
Date: May 14 23:00:32 2006
From: pslott - VariedThrush at comcast.net
White-rumped Sandpiper at Toppenish NWR
Tweeters,
At 5 PM this evening, Alan Lincoln asked me to identify a shorebird with
a white rump that he was watching in the marsh just west of Old
Goldendale Road about half way down the paved portion of the road
bordering the west edge of the Toppenish NWR. His first bird landed as
I got on his second bird that looked exactly the same from a distance of
about 100 to 200 feet. The prominent band of white across the rump of
the bird was the first feature I saw. It was about the size of a
Spotted Sandpiper, but the upper wings were a dark gray with the white
wingstripe across the top of the remiges at the bottom of the coverts
such as you see in Western Sandpiper. The dark wings were noticeably
swept back, pointed and darker, almost charcoal beyond the wrist.
Underneath, the bird was white, including the wings. The flight was
very swift, and the wing strokes very quick; much faster than the round
winged Spotty we saw shortly thereafter. The bird circled, allowing us
a good side view before it landed near the first. The beak was like
Spotty, straight and medium length sandpiper bill, only it was dark,
charcoal. The head was gray. Basically, it was a medium sized
sandpiper, gray on top, white underneath, with a prominent white band
across the rump.
I gave Alan the Sibley field guide to reach his own conclusion and he
picked out the pictures of the WHITE-RUMPED SANDPIPER in flight. This
matched what I saw. At the site I went through pictures of every
shorebird with white on its rump and we eliminated them each by field
marks we saw, except for the WHITE-RUMPED SANDPIPER. The possibilities
were usually eliminated by the high contrast and shape of the white band
on the rump, the wing shape and flight style, the colors, leg and neck
length (short), and the position of the legs flying (hidden completely
by the tail). We wonder if the species we saw was WHITE-RUMPED
SANDPIPER, even though we recognize this is a rare species in the state.
We hope others view these birds and report.
Patricia S. Lott
Seattle, WA
mail to: VariedThrush at comcast.net