ID's

I think these are Short-billed Dowitcher (although I need to read up some more, might be long-billed) and Semi-palmated Sandpiper.

Any other suggestions, I'm not good at wading birds.

Thanks.

#2

#3

They look like dowitchers we see here in Florida, but are much more russet colored. For me, in my area, all dowitchers are short-billed. According to my book, the prairie race is redder than the Atlantic race. I've never seen a long-billed, which also are reddish, so I'm not entirely certain. If you saw these in Colorado, my book indicates that as the range for long-billed, with occasional occurrence of short-billed.

The smaller bird looks a lot like a sanderling, but the habitat doesn't look right. They don't normally wade that deep. I don't know the semi-palmated sandpiper. By the range maps in my book, it's more likely to be the sandpiper than a sanderling.

Glad I could be so much help.

I've never been able to ID Dowitchers for certain without hearing them call, usually in flight. But by range (assuming this was taken in Colorado), this time of the year it would be a Long-billed, not a Short-billed. The bill is long enough...

The peep appears to be a Semi-palmated Sandpiper. That small and black legs makes the ID pretty certain.

I'm told Long-billed Dowitcher and Lesser Sandpiper, haven't checked the latter yet. Thanks.

There isn't a "Lesser" Sandpiper, but there is a Least Sandpiper. It would have yellow legs, though. Your bird's appear to be black.

I'll second Jim's input. I'm not comfortable separating the dowitchers unless I hear them call, even with 20+ years of NJ experience with short-billed and 16 years with long-billed here in AZ. Jim's covered the peep ID as well.