Date: Tue, 6 Aug 2002 18:36:43 -0400 Reply-To: Maryland Birds & Birding Sender: Maryland Birds & Birding From: "Hilton, Rob" Subject: latest on Sharp-tailed Sandpiper in Delaware MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-2" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable plucked from the Delaware listserv. I believe there is only one = accepted record for that state, a juvenile bird from 1993. =20 Best,=20 Rob Hilton rhilton@csa.com Bethesda, Md.=20 ++++++ Subject: Sharp-tailed Sandpiper location, etc. From: JeffGyr@AOL.COM Date: Tue, 6 Aug 2002 17:06:54 EDT Hello all-- Just back from a run down to Bombay Hook with Mike Smith to see the Sharp-tailed Sandpiper. Here's a stab at pinpointing where the bird was hanging out, at least from 2 - 3 PM this afternoon: Heading out to Bear Swamp, you pass the parking lot for the tower on the left. For the next couple of hundred yards, you will have trees to the = left (north). When you come to the edge of the trees; i.e., you get your = first look out into the impoundment, park and look north in the general = direction of the Salem Nuke cooling tower. The bird was working mudflats among = drowned tree stumps perhaps 100 yards from the road. As you look north, the = mudflats are past the water, but before you get to any real grass. There were = Canada Geese, Mallards, and lots of Glossy Ibis working the same area. This is NOT the same spot where Larry Lewis discovered the bird = yesterday. That was at the extreme southeast corner of the impoundment and only = about 50 feet from the road. Overnight rains have flooded that area. Here are some points that separated the bird from neighboring Pectorals. = If I seem to be hedging a bit here and there, remember that the bird was = distant, and there was a pretty stiff wind out of the North, so observing = conditions were less than ideal. The Sharp-tailed Sandpiper was in fairly close proximity to a couple of Pectorals. It appeared bit slimmer than them, but this could be due to = sexual dimorphism--in both these species the males are larger than the females. It had a perceptibly shorter bill than the Pecs. The crown was dark, and looked rufous when the light hit it. This effect = was not shared by the Pecs. It was hard for me to see a difference in the contrast of the = superciliary, but the Sharp-tailed's was certainly as bright, and probably brighter, = than the Pec's. The underparts looked spotted or spattered on the Sharp-tailed (vs. = striped on Pecs), and there was not an obvious cutoff between the breast and = belly a la Pectoral. When the Sharp-tailed lifted its wings, you could see = markings continuing down its sides and flanks. It was too far away for me to = resolve any of these underpart markings as the characteristic chevrons. Finally, there were some markings (streaks?) visible on the undertail = coverts. This bird has not been photographed yet--the breezes and distance made = this futile today. But it would be wonderful to get at least a decent = documentary image of it. Any notes or photos or sketches would be welcomed by the Delaware Records Committee. Contact Frank Rohrbacher, secretary, at rohrbaf@aol.com Good luck to those who chase it, and thanks to Larry Lewis for finding = it, and to Holly Merker and Nick Pulcinella for spreading the word. Good birding, Jeff Jeffrey Gordon Newark, DE jeffgyr@aol.com =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D To leave the MDOsprey list, send e-mail to listserv@home.ease.lsoft.com with the following message in line 1: signoff mdosprey =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D =========================================================================