I’ve been going to shorebird migrations for several years now and each one still seems as magical as the first one. However, since they only happen for a short period each year, I struggle to identify many of the birds we see.
I needed to consult my bird guide to be sure that these were Western Sandpipers, not Least Sandpipers, much less Sanderlings in breed plumage.
I think this is a Long-Billed Dowitcher,
but I wouldn’t be shocked if a real bird expert told me it was really a Short-Billed Dowitcher.
I took a lot of shots of this Greater Yellowlegs (I think) in the distance because it was much taller than most of the birds I was seeing, but I didn’t positively identify it as a Greater Yellowlegs until it landed near this Long-Billed Dowitcher.
I really didn’t identify this Red Knot which was with a flock of dowitchers
until I was home in front of my computer.
I worked hardest to get a good shot of these Black-Bellied Plovers
because they insisted on staying the surf-side of the flocks of shorebirds. I’m not sure I like them because they are so challenging to photograph or because they’re plumage is so distinctive that it’s impossible to not identify them.