Project Noah is a tool to explore and document wildlife and a platform to harness the power of citizen scientists everywhere.
Project Noah is a tool to explore and document wildlife and a platform to harness the power of citizen scientists everywhere.
Lat: 42.77, Long: -86.21
Spotted on Jul 16, 2011
Submitted on Jul 16, 2011
18 Comments
Upland sandpiper ?
I think it is clear that this is a tough one. The last one I ID'd as a willet was also very difficult. Having done a willet ID before, I already had some ideas on the birds to check. Having it in Michigan put a twist in it though!
Sarah your link says its a Sandpiper too. I think I was not far away from this bird..!!
Thanks for shared link.
i will go with the willet
http://www.birds-of-north-america.net/wi...
oops sorry Sarah didn't see your post before I posted.
The coloration of it's legs are different from the Stilt and it doesn't have that white line above the the eye.
The stilt sandpiper has greenish legs.
Agreed that it is a willet. Michigan is well within the range indicated of EOL. According to http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/wille..., I'd agree that it is on its way to the breeding grounds even though it seems late. By the leg color, we can see that it is not the Greater Yellowleg or the Lesser YellowLeg which would be in this area. For the same reason, it is not the Short Billed Dowitcher - which might be a passer-by. The bill length and lack of noticable stripe from bill though the eye shows that this is not a Long Billed Dowitcher. Sorry for being longwinded.
"Sibley's Field Guide to Birds of Western America" does place the willet in that area during migration periods which, I think, is through August, but not positive. I know it appears like one, in all aspects, but size. It could be a juvenile. The marking are very similar.
Is it
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stilt_Sandp...
Stilt sandpiper...?
Like a Plover but bill is longer.
Oh and when I do use the allaboutbirds.org site I tend to search by taxonomy to help me rule out other similar birds.
Under that same link under life history it mentions 13-16inch for the Willet which is a bit smaller than the ring billed gull. We would have to know what they were using for comparison when saying "large". From the map it appears breeding is mostly in western states so he might just be passing through.
It looks like a willet, but annorion's link says it's a large bird. This bird is a bit smaller than a ring-billed gull. Plus, it was spotted in Southwest Michigan. It doesn't look like the willet resides there. (?) I'm far from a bird expert, so if you are certain it's a willet, I'd agree with you. I just thought you might like a bit more information. If you'd like to see the size of it compared to the gull, you can look at the ring-billed gull entry that I posted. This bird is up at the top left corner.
Agreed... I think it's a willet.
looks a bit bigger than a sanderling...maybe a Willet? http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Wille...
Sanderling...?