This Calidris sp. was
distantly observed and photographed at Port Aransas, Texas on
April 20, 2005; its legs were the same color as the nearby Western
and Semipalmated Sandpipers:
It was slightly smaller than nearby SESAs and WESAs, but
in some views it looked about the same class of size; there were
some LESAs about 30 feet away on drier mud and it looked to be
a bit larger than them. The tertials and wing coverts were blackish-centered
- similar in tone to the folded wings:
below is an enlarged version of above photo:
below is an enlarged version of above photo with the SESA and WESA moved closer, for comparison: - and here an enlargement of the target bird; - there is the suggestion that the distal fringes of the tertials have a warm tone:
Here it is directly behind a SESA/WESA allowing for a good comparison of leg color:
Below an enlarged version that shows the blackish centers to the wing coverts and tertials on the left side:
Below an enlarged version that shows the blackish centers to the wing coverts and tertials on the right side:
