mikerigney Posted January 25, 2019 Share Posted January 25, 2019 Hi all, this is my first post. I'm struggling to identify two birds I saw while on a walk this evening in Tarpon Springs, FL (about 40 minutes North of Tampa). I saw them right at dusk, and they were feeding in the sand near a large flock of laughing gulls and black skimmers. There were an assortment of wading birds all together. I have a couple ideas but want to hear what you all think! Sorry the pictures aren't great and I didn't get many - it was getting late and light wasn't good. Thanks! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HamRHead Posted January 25, 2019 Share Posted January 25, 2019 Welcome to Whatbird! If these are your not-so-great shots I can't imagine what the great ones must look like. 1. I think Stilt Sandpiper but wait for additional input. 2. Ruddy Turnstone. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
birdbrain22 Posted January 25, 2019 Share Posted January 25, 2019 Short-billed Dowitcher and Ruddy Turnstone there. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HamRHead Posted January 25, 2019 Share Posted January 25, 2019 7 minutes ago, birdbrain22 said: Short-billed Dowitcher and Ruddy Turnstone there. Whew, thanks! That would explain some things. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikerigney Posted January 25, 2019 Author Share Posted January 25, 2019 You guys are great, thank you so much! Looking back at Merlin, the first photos of both these show breeding adults, while these are non-breeding, so the colors are much more muted with completely different patterns. I had to flip through a few more photos. Good lesson for me and I definitely appreciate your input! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlie Spencer Posted January 25, 2019 Share Posted January 25, 2019 Welcome. I'm with HamRHead. These shot are not just great for ID purposes, they're great overall. The turnstone in particular is a nice shot of a bird being a bird. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
millipede Posted January 25, 2019 Share Posted January 25, 2019 11 hours ago, birdbrain22 said: Short-billed Dowitcher Are there specific ID marks we can use to rule out long-billed? I'm just curious as they're kind of a pain for me, unless I have playback in hand and they're vocalizing. All about birds' site shows both species being present in FL during migration but only long-billed in winter. Of course, winter IS migration for some shorebirds so I don't know what exactly would be more likely. All about birds mentions some VERY subtle differences in posture, something about a rounded belly or more hump-back like appearance but I can't even see that difference in their pictures and a bird's posture changes EVERYTHING sometimes. So I'm curious what's the best way to tell from this photo. I wish my brain actually retained all information as I'd be an expert at this by now. ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikerigney Posted January 28, 2019 Author Share Posted January 28, 2019 On 1/25/2019 at 8:08 AM, Charlie Spencer said: Welcome. I'm with HamRHead. These shot are not just great for ID purposes, they're great overall. The turnstone in particular is a nice shot of a bird being a bird. Thank you so much! Wildlife photography has been hobby for a while and it has finally turned me on to birding. I've only just started tracking sightings on eBird and wow, I'm looking forward to the day where I don't have to look up EVERY bird to get a positive ID. Thank you for the great welcome to your community, I'm sure I'll have many more questions soon ? 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlie Spencer Posted January 28, 2019 Share Posted January 28, 2019 (edited) 10 hours ago, mikerigney said: Thank you so much! Wildlife photography has been hobby for a while and it has finally turned me on to birding. That seems to be a two-way street around here. Photographers attempting to improve their ID skills, and birders trying to take better photos. Did you know this site has a separate photo forum? https://forums.whatbird.com/index.php?/forum/3-photo-sharing-and-discussion/ Edited January 28, 2019 by Charlie Spencer 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikerigney Posted January 28, 2019 Author Share Posted January 28, 2019 4 hours ago, Charlie Spencer said: That seems to be a two-way street around here. Photographers attempting to improve their ID skills, and birders trying to take better photos. Did you know this site has a separate photo forum? https://forums.whatbird.com/index.php?/forum/3-photo-sharing-and-discussion/ I hadn't seen that yet, thank you for sharing! I just got back from a walk, will post my best from today after I sort! ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikerigney Posted January 30, 2019 Author Share Posted January 30, 2019 Is this a semipalmated sandpiper? Seems like the beak is thicker and shorter than other pics I'm seeing. Man these shorebirds are hard. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cavan wood Posted January 30, 2019 Share Posted January 30, 2019 You're right, it does have a thicker bill. This is a black-bellied plover. Scott 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikerigney Posted January 30, 2019 Author Share Posted January 30, 2019 17 minutes ago, cavan wood said: You're right, it does have a thicker bill. This is a black-bellied plover. Scott Yessss thank you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sean C Posted January 30, 2019 Share Posted January 30, 2019 yes that's a BBPL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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