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July 2008

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From:
Craig Holt <[log in to unmask]>
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Tue, 29 Jul 2008 08:10:05 -0700
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Greetings---Yeah, that is an unusual peep for sure.  Since there aren't any other birds next to it in the photos, I can't make any judgment on the overall size.  The plumage looks good for a worn adult semipalmated sandpiper to me.  The rear end looks pretty attenuated, the chest not bulky, the head not so block-shaped---these are also clues that point toward SESA instead of WESA.  That bill, however, is awfully long; probably longer than any SESA I've ever seen.  The bird is surely a female then, or a freak of sorts.  It's almost tempting to wonder if it's a hybrid; but I don't know of any cases of hybridization between these two species, and hybrid shorebirds are rather rare as far as I know.  My computer setup here at home is primitive at best, so I can't blow up the photos at all---feather by feather scrutiny is not possible.  So I'd have to agree with Gabe; the bird is probably an extremely long-billed SESA.  Too bad it didn't call.  I've
 spent a ridiculous number of hours studying shorebirds at very close range at Conneaut, and the amount of variation within species is tremendous (ditto for gulls)---much more so than most birders probably realize.  Since SESAs outnumber WESAs by so much in Ohio, the odds of encountering an odd SESA are much higher than the odds of encountering an odd WESA here.  That peep is definitely odd.  I'll have to go use the library's computer for a better look at the photos.  Thanks for the post Gabe, especially since I'm stuck here at home today and not at Conneaut due to the price of gas.  I'd like to see Kenn K's (and others) take on this bird.  Craig



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