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Subject:

Paul Bystrak's Mystery Plover

From:

"Kurt R. Schwarz"

Reply-To:

Kurt R. Schwarz

Date:

Mon, 25 Aug 2008 16:34:05 -0400

I endourage everyone with world plover experience to examine Paul's mystery 
plover.  I've searched Hayman et all and del Hoyo HBW, to no avail.

My guess is it's an aberrant something.  In any case, it's of this world, I 
mean continent.


Kurt Schwarz
Ellicott City
goawaybird at [still] comcast dot net


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Paul Bystrak" <>
>
> In addition, on the mud about 100 yds south of the first turnout, and 
> about 15 yards off the east side of the road, was a strange little plover. 
> This bird was with 3 semipalmated sandpipers, and was very slightly larger 
> in body than them, but much, much longer in legs.  It was a gray color, in 
> contrast to the brown of the semi plovers, with distinctly scaly wing 
> coverts.  The legs are yellow, becoming greener nearer the body.  The 
> belly was black, with rufous side and back fringes. The black of the 
> central belly carried up both shoulders, so that it looked like an apron 
> from the front. Eyes and bill are jet black, with the eyes set in a gray 
> patch that was not even close to being connected to the beak.  The 
> forehead and throat are white, and the white extended over the eyes, 
> leaving a gray skullcap.  Below the eyes, the white extended all the way 
> around the back, forming a ring, below which was the black of the apron. 
> There may be a black leading edge on the wing - Marylee thought she saw 
> that and the picture seems to show it.  The bird dipped frequently, not 
> unlike a waterthrush.  We watched it for quite a while from close range, 
> and then there was a loud "eeek" sound from the nearby marsh grass and the 
> birds flew away and didn't return.  I got a poor image of it by putting my 
> digital camera to the objective of Marylee's Leupold Katmai binoculars.  I 
> don't have a way to post the image right now, but could email it to anyone 
> interested in seeing this.  We counted the semi plovers further down the 
> road several times, and saw nothing amongst them that even remotely 
> resembled the little guy.
>
> 3709 Devonshire Drive
> Salisbury, MD 21804
> 410-572-9950
> 443-783-1268 (cell)
>