Wader Wednesday ID CHALLENGE 21 October 2020: P Plate by Janine Duffy
Who are these three birds? Seen at the Western Treatment Plant, VIC in October.
Size: this photo is helpful because the size of one infers the size of the others.
Solution:
L-R: Pied Stilt, Curlew Sandpiper, Red-necked Stint.
This was on the hard edge of the L Plate.
I think the easiest way to start learning waders is by size class. Check page 121 of the ABG.
Here’s a list, does not include vagrants or rare ones:
Tiny: Red-necked Stint, Red-capped Plover, Black-fronted Dotterel, Red-kneed Dotterel
…Hooded Plover falls between….
Small: Curlew Sandpiper, Sharp-tailed Sandpiper, Terek Sandpiper, Common Sandpiper, Sanderling, Wood Sandpiper, Marsh Sandpiper, Double-banded Plover, Lesser Sand Plover
…Ruddy Turnstone & Greater Sand Plover fall between…
Medium: Little Curlew, Red Knot, Great Knot,, Common Greenshank, Grey-tailed Tattler, Grey Plover, Pacific Golden Plover
..stilts fall between…
Big: Godwits, Whimbrel, Masked Lapwing
Huge: Eastern Curlew, oystercatchers, stone-curlews
Start with the distinctive one – most of you knew the Pied Stilt, so then you’re looking for two birds smaller than it. Let’s start with the middle-sized one.
Forget about the legs, and look at body size. I think it would be fair to say that the middle one is less than half the weight of the Pied Stilt. So we’re looking for a Small Bird. That gives us a choice of:
Curlew Sandpiper, Sharp-tailed Sandpiper, Terek Sandpiper, Common Sandpiper, Ruddy Turnstone, Sanderling, Wood Sandpiper, Marsh Sandpiper, Double-banded Plover, Lesser & Greater Sand Plover, Hooded Plover. I’ve struck out all the ones that have the wrong shaped bill.
Curlew Sandpiper is all that’s left – check its weight: Pied Stilt: 140-220g, Curlew Sandpiper: 55-93g. Yes!
Now let’s look at the tiny one on the right. If it was standing right beside the Curlew Sandpiper would be ⅔ as tall. But your mind allows for a lot of leg and beak, so I think its fair to say the bird is about half the size of the Curlew Sandpiper. That means we’re looking for a Tiny Bird:
Red-necked Stint, Red-capped Plover, Black-fronted Dotterel, Red-kneed Dotterel and I’ve struck out the ones with the wrong shaped bill.
Red-necked Stint is the only one left – check its weight: Yes! Red-necked Stint weigh 25 – 40g, Curlew Sandpiper weigh 55-93g.
Judging size is a little complicated – long-legged birds like stilts look big, but only weigh as much as a Great Knot. Ruddy Turnstones are chunky but short-legged, so look small but weigh as much as the medium birds. But once you get a feel for it, it’s really not that hard.
So by deduction, we have got it. Easy, yeah?
Women Birders Australia 