Date: Sun, 1 Feb 2004 07:36:49 EST Reply-To: Maryland Birds & Birding Sender: Maryland Birds & Birding From: Rick Sussman Subject: Re: Please Identify MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit In a message dated 1/30/2004 2:52:45 PM Eastern Standard Time, crabtree@MYSHORELINK.COM writes: Given an uncertainty of locale, can we safely say that it's a Purple, and not a Rock Sandpiper? They're pretty tough to separate in basic plumage - it's usually done by location! Scott Crabtree The orangey-colored base of the bill, the bright yellowish legs, and the smudginess of the upper breast, lacking clear definition or "spots" would indicate this is a Purple Sandpiper rather than the Aleutian race of Rock Sandpiper, which it would most closely resemble. It appears to my eye that it is standing on beach sand, in the water, rather than on ice, but the image is sort of "nebulous" in the background. Rick Sussman Ashton,MD warblerick@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 ======================================================================= =========================================================================