NONBREEDING BLACK-BELLIED PLOVER, TIGERTAIL BEACH, MARCO ISLAND, FL

   We differentiated this Black-bellied Plover from the American Golden-Plover, which is very similar as follows:

• The pale cap, rather than the dark cap of the American Golden-Plover.
• The white belly, rather than the gray belly of the American Golden-Plover.

    You can still see some of the black on the belly from the plover's breeding plumage.

NONBREEDING LEAST SANDPIPER, TIGERTAIL BEACH, MARCO ISLAND, FL

      We identified this "peep" (very small sandpipers) as a Least Sandpiper as follows:

• Small size
• The dull greenish legs; the other peeps have black legs.

   The Least Sandpiper is a new species to our Life List, which now stands at 241.

WOOD STORK IN FLIGHT, TIGERTAIL BEACH, MARCO ISLAND, FL

NONBREEDING DUNLIN, TIGERTAIL BEACH, MARCO ISLAND, FL

   We identified these birds as nonbreeding Dunlins by the following:

• Small size, but larger than peeps
• Long, slightly drooping bill
• Black and relatively short legs
• Gray-brown plumage

   The Dunlin is a new species to our Life List, which now stands at 240.

NONBREEDING WILSON'S PLOVER, TIGERTAIL BEACH, MARCO ISLAND, FL

BIRDER IN GOODLAND, MARCO ISLAND, FL

LONG- & SHORT-BILLED DOWITCHERS, TIGERTAIL BEACH, MARCO ISLAND, FL

   At Tigertail Beach yesterday morning we sighted and were able to photograph numerous shorebirds.  Among these shorebirds were many Dowitchers.  Short-billed and Long-billed Dowitchers often mix with each other and forage together.  The two species of Dowitchers are very difficult to differentiate from each other, but as luck would have it, I was able to photograph the two species side-by-side, both in nonbreeding plumage.

   We have identified the Dowitcher on the left as a Short-billed Dowitcher and the one in the middle as a Long-billed Dowitcher.  We were able to differentiate the two species as follows:

• You can see in the photo that the Dowitcher on the left has a bill considerably shorter than the other one.  The bill sizes of the two species do overlap, particularly since the female generally has a longer bill than the male of the same species.   However at the extremes there is definitely a difference: the bird on the left is probably a male Short-billed Dowitcher and the one in the middle, a female Long-billed Dowitcher.
• The bill of the Short-billed Dowitcher has a a slight downward curve, while the bill of the Long-billed Dowitcher is straight.  You can see this in the photo.
• The Short-billed Dowitcher's eyes are at a higher angle above the bill (loral angle) than the Long-billed Dowitcher's eyes.  This is obvious in the photo.

   The Long-billed Dowitcher is already on our Life List, but the Short-billed Dowitcher is a new species to the list, which now stands at 239.