Sighting Record for Utah

Common name:	Pacific Golden-Plover
Scientific name:	Pluvialis fulva
Date:	5/17/2018
Time:	9:15 AM
Length of time observed:	Over two different time periods, about 10 minutes
Number:	1
Age:	adult. Preformative molt is incomplete so this has to be an adult
Sex:	Female
Location:	Deseret Ranch
County:	Rich
Latilong:	?
Elevation:	~6500
Distance to bird:	In flight within 20 feet, perched 60 yards at the closest, farther in the second location
Optical equipment:	8x42 Leica Ultravid/65mm Swarovski scope with 25-50x wide eyepiece
Weather:	Perfect calm, slightly chilly spring morning
Light Conditions:	When view it on the mudflats, absolutely terrible, staring right into glare. In flight, at times excellent
Description: Size of bird:	typical of a Pluvialis plover
(Description:) Basic Shape:	That of a Pluvialis plover, but compared to AGP, longer legged, stood more upright
(Description:) Overall Pattern:	spangled black and gold above, yellowish faced, and white underneath with limited black mottling
(Description:) Bill Type:	oh so Pluvialis-like
(Description:) Field Marks and Identifying Characteristics:	Copy of my notes taken on my phone several hours after the observation, could not make notes at the time as I was leading a group: "Plover came flying in and I IDed it as a GP but my immediate reaction was that it didn t sound high-pitched or strident enough for AMGP but sounded like the PAGP I heard all last year. It landed in terrible light but it was a poorly marked female with a yellowish face and fairly bright back. I got some terrible photos and it flew off past us calling again but I was fumbling with my phone and failed to get a recording. It flew off and I suspected it was a PG but wasn t sure. About 15 minutes later though it flew back in circled very close to us where I got some flight shots in better light. And fail to properly operate the video on my phone. It landed on a distant bank and we got to watch it for a while. I noted: Long-legged appearance, lots of leg above the tibia-tarsal joint Drooping supercillium Tertials nearly reaching the tip of the tail Fair short appearing PP which gave the body a sort of abbreviated appearance, not as attenuated as AMGP Slightly more upright structure Sort of dumpy appearing body, less of the clean lines of AMGP white running all the way down the flanks Yellowish supercillium and face In flight the photos clearly showed long toe projection though I didn t note it at the time Sent from my iPhone" Close examination of photos after the fact showed that the super is whitest right above the eye, becoming yellow behind a PGP trait. The bird also looks large billed, another subtle PGP trait. The drooping supercillium creates a broader dark nape than AGP, a trait visible in Photo 3 [Photo C] but not in the field. (see photos)
Song or call & method of delivery:	A low, mellow slightly two-parted whistle with emphasis on the latter part of the call. Lower pitched and not as high and strident as AMGP. Given many times.
Behavior:	Supremely plover-like and entirely unhelpful. I watched and didn't see it do the foot behavior that PGP sometimes show
Habitat:	High altitude pond with a partial sandy beach where it landed for a time.
Similar species and how were they eliminated:	Structure was all PAGP; long legs, toe projection, heavy chest, short PP, not as attenuated as AGP. While I have most recently seen a number of PGP, because I had already seen hundreds of AGP before I saw my first PGP I think of AGP as the "normal" GP. And just as the call seemed abnormal, the while structure and posture struck me as wrong for what I was expecting when I first saw it perched on the sandflat. Plumage-wise: The large orange-gold spots on the back as opposed to smaller more yellowish spots on female AGP. Yellowish face and supercillium rather than whiteish super of AGP. Broad white flanks. Drooping supercillium with broad dark nape rather than arched super that nearly meets on the nape like AGP. European GP is completely different in structure golden back is a different shade of yellow. A very different bird.
Previous experience with this & similar species:	Spent last year on St Paul Island in Alaska where last fall I encountered PGP on a near daily basis and frequently hear their calls. It was knowledge of the call that immediately sounded wrong for AGP and right for PGP that made me examine the bird carefully. In all I've spent three seasons on St Paul where the majority of my experience with this species comes from, but have also seen them around Nome and in the same area as breeding AGP there as well as a handful in the Lower 48. AGP I've seen thousands of as I usually bird the Texas coast and other locations in the interior of the continent in spring where they are often numerous. Also a fair number of breeders in two trips to Barrow and fair numbers in the fall on the East Coast. I saw hundreds of European Golden-Plovers during a trip to Spain at the height of their spring migration but that is my only experience with this species.
References consulted:	At the time I was using the Sibley App to show the group why I though it was a PGP. Later I looked through the Shorebird Guide and at images on the internet
Description from:	Notes made later From photo(s) taken at the time of the sighting
Observer:	Cameron Cox
Observer's address:	1479 S 35 E, Farmington UT 84025
Observer's e-mail address:	**
Other observers who independently identified this bird:	Once we left the Ranch and I had better cell reception I sent an photo of the back of my camera to Tom Johnson, a leader for Field Guides Bird Tours and one of the best field birders in the country asking for his thoughts but gave no context. His response was: "PGP. Done. Damn was that in Utah?!" At the time a group from the Great Salt Lake Birding Festival also saw the bird at the time but no one else had a great deal of knowledge about separating GPs.
Date prepared:	5/18/18
Additional material:	Photos
Additional comments:	video with a tiny bit of the call at the start though no imagery