Date: Tue, 6 Aug 2002 21:03:27 -0400 Reply-To: Maryland Birds & Birding Sender: Maryland Birds & Birding From: Gail Mackiernan Subject: Re: latest on Sharp-tailed Sandpiper in Delaware In-Reply-To: MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII Hi -- The Sharp-tailed SP in Delaware was an adult bird, not a juvenile -- it was found at Bombay Hook by John O'Brien and was a good example of the "Patagonia Picnic Area" effect -- John had come out to see the Whiskered Tern (first North American record) and found the Sandpiper. What I can't recall was whether the 1993 bird was at Shearness or Bear Swamp... Barry and I found a juvenile Sharp-tailed at Hunting Creek in September 1989, 3rd record for Virginia and 2nd for that location! Unfortunately, haven't seen one in Maryland yet but am still looking! Gail Mackiernan Colesville, MD On Tue, 6 Aug 2002, Hilton, Rob wrote: > plucked from the Delaware listserv. I believe there is only one accepted record for that state, a juvenile bird from 1993. > > Best, > > Rob Hilton > rhilton@csa.com > Bethesda, Md. > > ++++++ > > 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 > > ======================================================================= > To leave the MDOsprey list, send e-mail to listserv@home.ease.lsoft.com > with the following message in line 1: signoff mdosprey > ======================================================================= > ======================================================================= To leave the MDOsprey list, send e-mail to listserv@home.ease.lsoft.com with the following message in line 1: signoff mdosprey ======================================================================= =========================================================================