Wings Around the Umpqua: Yay Peeps! My Attempt at Teaching Basic West Coast Peep Identification

Every year when I start looking at shorebirds again they all seem to blend together. Western, Least, and Semipalmated Sandpipers are all a shade off of each other. The differences between species, especially peeps, can seem minuscule. I headed out to Plat I Reservoir today to try my luck at finding a Semipalmated Sandpiper, a rare bird for Douglas County, and an uncommon bird for the West Coast.

Peep identification can be a real head-scratcher

Even if I could find one, I was worried about being able to identify it, as I believe I have only seen one before in my life, and it was at the very beginning of my journey as a beginner birder. Luckily for me, conditions, while hot (88F at the start of my paddle, 94F at the end) were excellent, and the birds were very cooperative.

The first thing that stood out to me was the large number of Western Sandpipers that were on the mudflats.

Western Sandpipers

I knew these were Western Sandpipers for a few reasons. First, they have black legs. This can be hard to see when the birds are muddy, but these are nice and clean (relatively). Secondly, they have long, black bills that are slightly drooping. They are also noticeably larger than Least Sandpipers, and slightly larger than Semipalmated Sandpipers. Finally, in breeding plumage they show a lot of red on the back, but beware, juvenile Least Sandpipers can also show red on the back. The Western Sandpipers that I say today all stood out immediately because of the amount of red on the back.

In review: WESTERN SANDPIPER

LEGS: BLACK
BILL: LONG, HEAVY, SLIGHTLY DROOPING
SIZE: NOTICEABLY LARGER THAN LEAST SANDPIPER, SLIGHTLY LARGER THAN SEMIPALMATED SANDPIPER

Blurry juvenile Least Sandpiper at rear, Western Sandpiper in front

The next birds I noticed out on the flats were Least Sandpipers. Least Sandpipers have yellow legs, and a small, pointed bill that may slightly droop. Compare these two birds. The Western Sandpiper in front has a long, heavy drooping bill and black legs. The Least Sandpiper has a short, pointed bill with yellow legs. In this picture the size difference isn't apparent, but the least is smaller.

In review: LEAST SANDPIPER

LEGS: YELLOW
BILL: SHORT, DAINTY, POINTED, SLIGHTLY DROOPING
SIZE: SMALLER THAN BOTH SEMIPALMATED AND WESTERN SANDPIPERS

Is it my target bird?

As the day wore on I kept on paddling and picking through the peeps. Pretty promptly, the pertinent particulars of a pretty little peep began to pop out in my persnickety process. (Okay, no more alliteration, I swear).

As you can see, the bird in the above picture has dark legs, and a stout, stubby bill that is quite straight. These features, along with it's size in comparison to a nearby Western Sandpiper and Least Sandpiper gave me a hint that I had found what I was searching for: a Semipalmated Sandpiper.

Slightly smaller than Western? Check. Shorter bill than Western? Black Legs? Check and Check.

Stubbier and stouter bill than (blurry) Least Sandpiper in foreground? Check.

We have a winner! The Semipalmated Sandpiper in these three photos fit all of the criteria. First, it's slightly smaller than the Western Sandpiper and larger than the Least Sandpiper. Second, it has black legs, unlike the Least Sandpiper. Finally, it has a short, stout, stubby bill, different than both the Western and Least Sandpipers.

In review: SEMIPALMATED SANDPIPER

LEGS: BLACK
BILL: SHORT, STOUT, BLUNT TIP
SIZE: A LITTLE SMALLER THAN WESTERN, YET LARGER THAN LEAST.

I was quite happy to have found my year-Semipalmated Sandpiper. But my day wasn't over. Next I continued to take pictures of peeps to study at home. I got an excellent shot of a Western Sandpiper pulling a worm out of the ground, but when I got home...

BLURRY! Darn it!

I continued paddling and snapping, and did get a few shots that I was happy with.

Long-Billed Dowitchers

Photo Deux

Greater Yellowlegs

On the next section of mudflat I saw what I thought was another Killdeer (I think there were around 20 total), but I looked closer and it was a Semipalmated Plover!

Semipalmated Plover with Greater Yellowlegs

And, I managed to get a semi-clean shot...

Get that worm!

I was pretty happy at this point, but when I rounded the corner on the reservoir, in the distance I could see what appeared to be some dark shorebirds. What were they? Wilson's Snipe? Nope! A trio of Virginia Rails was running around on the mudflat with the shorebirds. Wild! I have rarely seen them out in the open and here were three feeding in plain sight.

Virginia Rails

Feeding Rail

I didn't realize how fair-sized they are for such a sneaky bird!

It was getting pretty hot by now and I was ready to head somewhere else. However, when I rounded the final corner a huge, golden shorebird flew in and landed on the flat. It was a Long-Billed Curlew! A very good bird for Douglas County!

Long Billed Curlew! I originally called it a Whimbrel.

Notice how pale it's breast is, compared to a Whimbrel, which is more heavily streaked.

I originally called the Long-Billed Curlew a Whimbrel. Why? First I thought it's bill wasn't long enough to be a Long-Billed Curlew, however, I just learned there is actually a "range" in lengths for Long-Billed Curlew bills! Wow! Secondly, I thought a Whimbrel would be far more likely, however, it is actually quite rare for a Whimbrel to be inland, even though they are somewhat regular on the coast.

Finally, notice how plain and pale the face is. I attributed this to lighting, but it's actuallya good marker for Long-Billed Curlew. In a post teaching about shorebirds I get corrected! It goes to show how much I have to learn, which isn't a bad thing. We all make mistakes!

I was very happy with my results today. I hit three of my birding joys: identifying difficult species, taking good pictures, and finding good birds. I also noticed some strange crabs. While the pictures are poor I thought I would post them.