Verification of Unusual
Sight Record
For Utah
Rec. # 2020-64
| Common name: |
Sharp-tailed Sandpiper |
| Scientific name: | Calidris acuminata |
| Date: | 10/29/2020 |
| Time: | Around 1600 |
| Length of time observed: | Off and on for approximately 1 hour |
| Number: | 1 |
| Age: | Likely juvenile |
| Sex: | Unknown |
| Location: | Ouray National Wildlife Refuge |
| County: | Uintah |
| Latilong: | 40.165812,-109.58722 |
| Elevation: | Approximately 4,660 ft. |
| Distance to bird: | Approximately 75 feet |
| Optical equipment: | Leupold binos 15X56 and Canon EOS 5D camera with 600 mm lens |
| Weather: | Clear, calm, and fairly warm for fall (50s) |
| Light Conditions: | Sunny |
| Description: Size of bird: | Maybe 8" - much smaller than dowitchers and killdeer around it |
| (Description:) Basic Shape: | Sandpiper-shape: long legs and body |
| (Description:) Overall Pattern: | Dark and rufous above; pale below |
| (Description:) Bill Type: | Narrow bill |
|
(Description:)
Field Marks and Identifying Characteristics: |
Rufous cap, white supercilium, dark and rufous above, buff on breast below light streaking, and whitish belly. See photos |
| Song or call & method of delivery: | Silent. I did not hear it vocalize. |
| Behavior: | Wading through and foraging in shallow water and mud flats. |
| Habitat: | Wetland and mud flat |
| Similar
species and
how were they eliminated: |
Similar species would be pectoral sandpiper, which I also saw in this area but the pectoral sandpiper had prominent streaking on breast and did not have a bright rufous cap like the sharp-tailed sandpiper. |
| Previous
experience with this & similar species: |
Not as much as I would like. I needed help (via my photos) in identifying this species. |
| References consulted: | Nat Geo Field Guide to the Birds of North America, Merlin app, and online photos |
| Description from: | From photo(s) taken at the time of the sighting |
| Observer: | Lesley Tullis |
| Observer's address: | P.O. Box 405, Jensen, UT 84035 |
| Observer's e-mail address: | ** |
| Other observers who independently identified this bird: | I wasn't exactly sure what this was, but Colby Neuman (e-bird reviewer for Utah) identified my photos as a sharp-tailed sandpiper. |
| Date prepared: | 10/30/2020 |
| Additional material: | Photos |
| Additional comments: |