Rack Posted May 23 Share Posted May 23 (edited) These pictures were taken yesterday, 5/22/22, in central MO in a wetland habitat. White-rumped Sandpipers are expected, as a Semipalmated, per eBird, but it has been suggested that these are Semipalmated and Western. Western and White-rumped would both be lifers, but now I'm not confident enough to list either one. Help! Edited May 23 by Rack Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quiscalus quiscula Posted May 24 Share Posted May 24 1. Semipalmated Sandpiper 2. SESA 3. Maybe Western. 4. WESA? 5. Western? 6. WESA? 7. Semipalm and Western?? Disclaimer: not an expert. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blackburnian Posted May 24 Share Posted May 24 (edited) Photo 3 and 7 show White-rumped Sandpiper (third bird from the left in the last photo). Edited May 24 by blackburnian 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rack Posted May 24 Author Share Posted May 24 Okay, while going through my life list, I do NOT have White-rumped, Western, NOR Semipalmated on my list (could have sworn I had that third one already from years ago). I really want to ID these right. As of right now, I have them all just listed as peeps on eBird, so I'm hoping to get something definitive on a least a few of them. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rack Posted May 24 Author Share Posted May 24 Kind of sad that my post hasn't gotten more responses. Was hoping to for somebody to say "I definitely agree with such and such." I'm so eager to count one, two, or three lifers here! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seanbirds Posted May 24 Share Posted May 24 9 hours ago, Rack said: Kind of sad that my post hasn't gotten more responses. Was hoping to for somebody to say "I definitely agree with such and such." I'm so eager to count one, two, or three lifers here! I 100% agree with @blackburnian. 🙋♂️ I'd trust him. He really knows his stuff. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seanbirds Posted May 24 Share Posted May 24 Just now, Seanbirds said: I 100% agree with @blackburnian. 🙋♂️ I'd trust him. He really knows his stuff. The rest besides the White-rumped are all Semipalms. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Avery Posted May 24 Share Posted May 24 13 hours ago, blackburnian said: Photo 3 and 7 show White-rumped Sandpiper (third bird from the left in the last photo). Agreed. I think it’s also the rightmost bird in pic 6 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rack Posted May 25 Author Share Posted May 25 (edited) Thanks so much! I'll go with Semipalmated and White-rumped (which is what I expected from the location anyway). Edited May 25 by Rack 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich Stanton Posted May 25 Share Posted May 25 I would use photo 7, third bird from left for my lifer WRSA photo if I were you. It nicely shows that the wings are longer than the tail and the diagnostic orange at the base of a drooped bill. Agree left-most, pic 3 is also WRSA but I like the more complete photo. The other pictures look like semipalmateds to me with no strong candidates for WESA, the adults of which should be a slam-dunk to ID if you get one in the spring (when unfortunately they're rare). WESA coming back through MO in the fall will be more common and some should retain nice coloring. Photo 6, right-most bird is thought-provoking because I almost dismissed it as a pectoral before noticing the breast markings are buffy and diffuse, like a Baird's Sandpiper, not dark with a clear demarcation line. I think the bird also has a black, narrow bill with little taper or droop, not the yellow-tinged tapering and drooped bill of a pectoral, and likely black legs, not yellow. The lighting and exposure make my judgment of color error-prone and the angle compromises my ability to be sure of the bill shape, so it would be worth checking your memory, notes, and other photos, but I am reasonably sure you have your third lifer in this photo set after all. If not, Bairds is fairly common at Eagle Bluffs and elsewhere in Missouri and you're sure to get one you can be 100% happy with before long. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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