[Tweeters] Little Stint / Billy Frank Jr National Wildlife Refuge

[B B]

 This is my Ebird checklist from May 25, 2021 which includes a number of photos of the Little Stint found at Eide Road in Snohomish County.  Some potential differences between that individual and the one referenced in this chain:  The legs are clearly very black, the so-called "braces" on the back are clear, and there is a white stripe above the eye.  It is way above my pay grade to opine on what any of that means.  Just some data for others.
https://ebird.org/checklist/S88981376

Blair Bernson
    On Tuesday, April 26, 2022, 07:23:01 AM PDT, Steve Hampton <stevechampton at gmail.com> wrote:  
 
 Bob, 
Thanks for engaging me. I'm a bit confused about what you said about leg color in the photos, which you said appeared yellow in the Least photo and dark in the stint photos. But there are no photos of Least Sandpiper; there are just two photos of the presumed stint. To me, the legs have a hint of olive, which means they are probably yellow, just in shadow or with mud. My understanding is that Little Stint legs should be jet black, blacker than Western. 
Regarding plumage, I pulled out Veit and Jonsson (1987) from American Birds, which has excellent illustrations and discussion. The tertials and scapulars on both species (in alternate plumage) can be nearly identical. To me, the extensive streaking on the breast sides and the tail protruding beyond the wings suggest Least Sandpiper, as does the overall structure.
Again, the pics are here: https://ebird.org/checklist/S107940245  
I'm hoping others will weigh in. 
thanks, 
On Mon, Apr 25, 2022 at 11:37 PM Robert O'Brien <baro at pdx.edu> wrote:

One giveaway is the legs.  Least Sandpiper has yellow legs, visible in the photo.  The Little Stint clearly has dark legs also visible in the excellent photos.I'd worry more about Western Sandpiper, which is the next excellent photo.  There are obvious differences there but the legs don't help.
Bob OBrien  PortlandPS  Can anyone predict what time of day (tidewise?) would be best for chasing tomorrow, Tuesday?  I guess it was seen around 9-10AM Saturday.  Little Stint is my Most Wanted Stint.................

On Mon, Apr 25, 2022 at 10:42 PM Steve Hampton <stevechampton at gmail.com> wrote:

I've only seen Little Stint a few times, so I'm interested in more discussion of this bird. The bill shape and overall posture seem identical to Least Sandpiper to me. Plumage-wise, is the strong streaking on the sides of the breast possible on Little Stint?  I'm interested in an explanation why this is not a bright adult Least Sandpiper and what the key marks are.
thanks, 
 
On Mon, Apr 25, 2022 at 6:58 PM dan&erika <danerika at gmail.com> wrote:

Hi Tweets--
First let me apologize for the delay in my posting this record. Yesterday, 25 April 2022, I photographed a bird at the Billy Frank Jr National Wildlife Refuge. It was on the south side of the very beginning of the estuary boardwalk. Two birds are in the image, one clearly a Least Sandpiper. It slowly occurred to me that the other, brighter bird is a Little Stint. I shared the photo with Dennis Paulson, who concurs with my identification. 
Two photos are included in the following eBird checklist: https://ebird.org/checklist/S107940245.

Note apparent black legs, white-tipped wing coverts, and rusty breast, and note the black streaks against a pale chestnut wash on the sides of the breast and the chestnut color of the tertials.
A refuge volunteer informed us that the shorebirds had been absent on Saturday the 24th, but that a large fallout of shorebirds occurred on Saturday night. I took the photos in eBird only because the birds presented a pretty composition.

Dan
-- 
Dan or Erika Tallman
Olympia, Washington 
danerika at gmail.com

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​Steve Hampton​Port Townsend, WA  (qatáy)

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