Small wader

[ijwilki]

Spotted this little fellow on the site shoreline today, only 6 or 7 inches long. Only other waders about were one curlew and one whimbrel. I'd like to think it's a little stint but I guess it's probably a small sanderling or dunlin.

[PeterB]

Whatever it is, it's cute and well photographed.

[barryhunt]

Hi,

The hind toe rules out Sanderling and looks too short billed and stumpy for a Dunlin, so Little Stint seems most likely, nicely captured as well

[MIKE THROWER]

1st Winter Dunlin

[Little Sparrow]

A little smasher Ian....I mean Dunlin! Super sunny pics!

[Dave Appleton]

I don't think it is a Dunlin. The sides of the breast contrast strongly with the white centre of the breast - this isn't the case on Dunlin. The white centre of the breast and throat, and the relatively strong white supercilium (strongest in front of the eye) seem ok for Little Stint. The bill length fits Little Stint, though the shortest-billed Dunlins of the race arctica are apparently similar.

It's not a plumage we see Little Stints in very often as the vast majority have moved through before now. There is one feather that I think looks like a retained juvenile scapular, so I agree with Mike's ageing of this as first-winter.

So Little Stint for me, not Dunlin. A tiny number of Little Stints do over-winter sometimes, though I'd imagine a Little Stint in December would be a very good record in Cumbria, if that's where this was.

[ijwilki]

Originally Posted by Dave Appleton

I don't think it is a Dunlin. The sides of the breast contrast strongly with the white centre of the breast - this isn't the case on Dunlin. The white centre of the breast and throat, and the relatively strong white supercilium (strongest in front of the eye) seem ok for Little Stint. The bill length fits Little Stint, though the shortest-billed Dunlins of the race arctica are apparently similar.

It's not a plumage we see Little Stints in very often as the vast majority have moved through before now. There is one feather that I think looks like a retained juvenile scapular, so I agree with Mike's ageing of this as first-winter.

So Little Stint for me, not Dunlin. A tiny number of Little Stints do over-winter sometimes, though [b][b]I'd imagine a Little Stint in December would be a very good record in Cumbria[/B], if that's where this was[/B].

Dave,

I'm actually on a contract in Abu Dhabi at the moment, sorry if you didn't realise it. Maybe I should keep my ID queries on the Abu Dhabi thread!. I've compared my pics with many others on various websites and still can't make my mind up. It was relatively spritely when it moved and had a quick pecking action.

[Twitcheruth]

Little Stint for me too Ian......lovely pics!

[ijwilki]

Thanks everyone for your replies. No sign of it today.

[Dave Appleton]

Originally Posted by ijwilki

Dave,

I'm actually on a contract in Abu Dhabi at the moment, sorry if you didn't realise it. Maybe I should keep my ID queries on the Abu Dhabi thread!. I've compared my pics with many others on various websites and still can't make my mind up. It was relatively spritely when it moved and had a quick pecking action.

Ah, that makes more sense then! I'm not very well up on the status of these species in that part of the world but I would expect that Little Stint is very much commoner there than it is here, and probably also in winter.

The problem with looking at photos on websites is that relatively few will show Little Stints in winter plumage. In most places where birding and bird photography is a very popular hobby they are much scarcer or absent in winter. I only have one winter plumaged bird on my website (scroll down to the bird at Cley in February), but lots of my Dunlins are in winter plumage.