Hi Paul and others,

John Hubbell said it was a Spotted Sandpiper, so I took his word for it.

No, seriously, Jim Stasz and Phil Davis have asked this question already. 
And yes, it did cross my mind. So, the bird did not vocalize as I recall. 
Nor did it seem large, such as having a longer tail. In Dennis Paulson's 
shorebird guide there is a photo comparing Common and Spotted wings on page 
142. Common shows much more white in the wing, our bird did not have that 
much white. The bird even seemed on the small side. I am sure it is not 
eating well, and is under normal weight. Its flight seemed weak and didn't 
seem to have that usual quick snappy flight that they usually do. My guess 
is that it is not going far. Common Sandpiper always crosses my mind when I 
see other late reports off Spotted Sandpipers.

I would love to be wrong and for some one to prove it is anything but a 
Spotted Sandpiper.

Hans



Hans Holbrook

Baltimore, MD




>From: Paul Pisano <>
>Reply-To: Paul Pisano <>
>To: 
>Subject: Re: [MDOSPREY] Western Maryland 2/11
>Date: Sun, 11 Feb 2007 20:53:45 -0500
>
>Hans Holbrook wrote, "...Try SPOTTED SANDPIPER! Yes it is February and it
>was 10 degrees this morning. John kicked up a Spotted Sandpiper at Weverton
>this morning along the Potomac..."
>
>Did you safely rule out Common Sandpiper, Actitis hypoleucos?  While
>admittedly less likely than Spotted, anything so out of range, time-wise,
>warrants considering all options.
>
>Paul Pisano
>Arlington, VA

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