That would be cool if they were still there!

I just sent another message to Tweeters saying that if the dark backs were visible this far away, then turnstones would be a choice to consider. I guess I'll just stop offering my help on this issue since I'm obviously all turned around! :)

Good birding, Joshua Glant

> On Dec 21, 2015, at 11:32 AM, Helen Gilbert <helen.gilbert at juno.com> wrote:
>
> Thanks, Joshua! We?re hoping they?ll still be there when we do the Christmas Bird Count. Opinion does seem to be trending toward Dunlins.
>
> Helen
>
> -----Original Message----- From: Joshua Glant
> Sent: Monday, December 21, 2015 9:21 AM
> To: helen.gilbert at juno.com
> Cc: Tweeters
> Subject: Re: [Tweeters] Shorebird flock ID
>
> Good morning Helen,
>
> In King County, the two most likely shorebird species to find on breakwaters are Dunlin or Sanderling, and your birds were almost definitely one or both of those species. Once at Alki, I saw one dunlin with fifty sanderlings! From this distance, I'm not sure what tips to offer in terms of ID, except that Dunlin in my experience have a slightly darker and almost more "purplish" shade of gray.
>
> Good birding, Joshua Glant
>
> Mercer Island, WA
>
> Josh(dot)n(dot)glant(at)gmail(dot)com
>
>> On Dec 21, 2015, at 8:47 AM, "helen.gilbert at juno.com" <helen.gilbert at juno.com> wrote:
>>
>> Hi - Any guesses on the identity of a large flock of shorebirds -- perhaps 200 -- on the rock breakwater outside Shilshole Marina? Henry Noble and I saw them from the Daybreak Star Center lookout yesterday. But they were so far that even with the scope we could only see that they had dark backs and white fronts that flashed when they flew back and forth in a tight formation, then landed again on the rocks. There was nothing to give us a sense of size.
>>
>> Helen Gilbert
>> Seattle
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>