Verification of Unusual
Sight Record
For Utah
Rec. # 2006-34
| Common name: |
White-rumped Sandpiper |
| Scientific name: | Calidris fuscicollis |
| Date: | 23 AUG 06 |
| Time: | 4:00 PM |
| Length of time observed: | 3 1/2 hours |
| Number: | 1 |
| Age: | juvenille |
| Sex: | unknown |
| Location: | Decker lake |
| County: | Salt Lake |
| Latilong: | unknown |
| Elevation: | unknown |
| Distance to bird: | 30 to 150 feet |
| Optical equipment: | Brunton Epoch 10.5 x 42 binoculars and Leica Televid 20 to 60 power scope |
| Weather: | Mostly cloudy at the beginning full sun later |
| Light Conditions: | good lighting at first, no glare- perfect lighting with sun at back later |
| Description: Size of bird: | Noticably larger [1/3 to1/2] than Least Sandpiper standing next to it. |
| (Description:) Basic Shape: | Sandpiper shape |
| (Description:) Overall Pattern: | Scalloped rufous and brown back, white undersides |
| (Description:) Bill Type: |
Medium shorebird type bill with slight droop at tip, bill about same length as
head Bird_Description: |
|
(Description:)
Field Marks and Identifying Characteristics: |
Top of head and nape grizzled rusty brown. Eyes dark. Face- extremely strong white supercillium starting at top of bill between the eyes, forming almost a complete 'vee' shape on forehead. Bill as above, did not see any reddish at base of lower mandible, otherwise dark gray to black. Lores were brownish, with brownish gray stripe through eye. Cheek is grayish brown and joins the eye stripe. Mantle and scapulars brown and rust colored feathers outlined in white or light buff. Primaries-dark centers light edging. Undertail coverts, belly, flanks and breast fairly white. Sides of throat and upper breast with smudged streaking. Wingtips longer than tail. Rump patch completely white with no central stripe. Legs dark. Wing feathers seemed to have a larger scalloped effect than other sandpipers I have seen. |
| Song or call & method of delivery: | None heard |
| Behavior: | Actively feeding for much of the time, from picking in shallow water to probing deeply with face completely submerged while standing in belly deep water. While preening and on a few short flights the solid white rump patch was obvious. |
| Habitat: |
Shallow urban lake with a few exposed mud flats and reed beds. |
| Similar
species and
how were they eliminated: |
Bairds sandpiper-No rust or red coloration and doesn't have white rump. Western sandpiper-Much smaller, no solid white rump, wings do not extend beyond tail. Least sandpiper-Has yellow legs and was standing next to review bird and was much smaller as noted above. Curlew sandpiper-is the only other bird with completely white rump that might be considered, But its legs are much longer than this bird and also it's bill is longer and much more decurved. |
| Previous
experience with this & similar species: |
No experience with White-rumped sandpiper, Have watched many Bairds, Western and Least sandpipers, and seen one Curlew sandpiper |
| References consulted: | Sibley, National geographic, and The Shorebird Guide by O'brian, Crossley, and Karlson |
| Description from: | Notes taken at time of sighting |
| Observer: | Stephen Sommerfeld |
| Observer's address: | 462 East Willow Ave. SLC,UT 84107 |
| Observer's e-mail address: | ssfeld@xmission.com |
| Other observers who independently identified this bird: | Cindy Sommerfeld, Pomera Fronce, Anne Halley |
| Date prepared: | 1 SEP 06 |
| Additional material: | |
| Additional comments: |