These Hudsonian Whimbrels Numenius phaopus hudsonicus were present on the flats inland from the bridge onto Mustang Island near Corpus Christi, Texas on April 03, 2011. There were five birds:- three were typical of what I think of as Spring Whimbrels in Texas; one was slightly paler, and one was noticeably paler (the bird on the right in the two standing pics and on the left in the flight pics below) - virtually lacking any warm tones above or below, and with only a very faint tinge of color on the lightly-marked axillaries. We did see the birds in flight from above, and confirmed that all five have similarly concolorous upperparts, eliminating the possibility that one of the Eurasian forms was involved. Nonetheless, this does provide a useful example of how variable Hudsonian Whimbrels can be, and how a particularly pale one can suggest one of the much rarer subspecies:
