Photo-essay: Juvenile Little , Red-necked Stint, Semi-palmated and

Pat Lonergan

Introduction Figure 1. Three juvenile Semi-palmated Sandpi- The July 1984 issue of the journal British pers (with juvenile Ringed Plovers), Achill Island, contained a truly ground-breaking paper on Mayo, September 25th 2011. the identification of and ‘peeps’, the term Note overall grey impression with little, if any, used in the US for the small , by warmth in plumage. One of my favourite rarity pho- Peter Grant and Lars Jonsson. The paper repre- tos from Ireland. sented a major leap forward in our understand- Photo: Pat Lonergan. ing of how to identify this challenging group of Key Identification Features species. While the text provided detailed treat- The following photo-essay comprises a collec- ment of each species and highlighted distin- tion of photos of juvenile Little Stints, Red- guishing characteristics, it was the exquisite necked Stints, Semi-palmated and Western plates by Lars Jonsson that caught the atten- Sandpipers taken over the past few years in Ire- tion, representing the first time that these simi- land, the US, Canada and Japan and attempts lar species were represented so accurately in full to highlight some of the main distinguishing colour alongside each other. It is testament to features of these three species. For detailed de- the quality of the artwork by Lars Jonsson that, scriptions, the reader is referred to the papers in more than 30 years after they were painted, the the reference list. plates in the British Birds paper are still without equal. Amongst the main features to focus on are: A similar paper, written more from a US per- spective, containing the same plates was pub- • Overall colouration. lished in American Birds in the same year by • Head pattern. Presence of ‘split’ supercilium Richard Veit and Lars Jonsson. Fortunately, and dark central ridge to crown. both papers are now available free online and • Presence of mantle and scapular ‘Vs’ formed those wishing a comprehensive treatment of by the alignment of pale fringes between the these species should refer to them. For the outer two rows of mantle feathers and the paintings alone I would encourage you to have pale outer fringes on the lowest row of upper a look (see the References section at the end of scapulars, respectively. this photo-essay on page 14 for the links). • Colour of wing coverts and tertials. Appearance • Pattern of breast-side streaking. From mid-August onwards each year, juvenile • Primary projection. Little Stints begin to appear at traditional • Bill length and shape. sites throughout Ireland. Most birders who • Presence of webbing between toes (unique spend any time looking at in the autumn to Semi-palmated and Western). This can will be familiar with this diminutive species. But be surprisingly difficult to determine accu- how familiar are you actually? It is only when -rately, especially on wet mud. faced with the challenge of identifying a closely related/similar species that good knowledge of the commoner species becomes crucial.

Separating juvenile , Red-necked Stint, Semi-palmated Sandpiper & esternW Sandpiper - Pat Lonergan Page 1 Figure 2 (top). Juvenile Little Stint, Tacumshin, Wexford, August 30th 2011. The mantle ‘V’ is formed by the alignment of pale fringes between the outer two rows of mantle feathers; the scapular ‘V’ is formed by pale outer fringes on the lowest row of upper scapulars. While the mantle ‘V’ is usually obvious in Little Stints, the prominence of the scapular ‘V’ depends on how the scapulars are spread. Blackish-centered mantle feathers and upper scapulars otherwise fringed rufous; lower scapulars solidly blackish-centered at tips; inner greater coverts and tertials blackish-centered, with sharply defined, usually rufous, fringes. Figure 3 (above). Juvenile Little Stint, Tacumshin, Wexford, September 25th 2006. Note overall warmth, prominent mantle ‘V’, solid blackish centres to scapulars, tertials and inner greater wing coverts. Photos: Dick Coombes (top), Killian Mullarney (above).

South Dublin Branch of BirdWatch Ireland - www.southdublinbirds.com Page 2 Figure 4 (top). Juvenile Little Stint, Tacumshin, Wexford, September 18th 2014. Amongst other features, note coarse breast side streaking. Figure 5 (above). Juvenile Little Stint, Tacumshin, Wexford, September 11th 2013. A typical individual. Note fine bill, split supercilium, prominent mantle and scapular ‘V’s and overall warmth. Photos: Dick Coombes (top), Killian Mullarney (above).

Separating juvenile Little Stint, Red-necked Stint, Semi-palmated Sandpiper & esternW Sandpiper - Pat Lonergan Page 3 Figure 6 (top). Juvenile Little Stint, Tacumshin, Wexford, September 14th 2011. A rather dull greyish individual. Note suggestion of split supercilium, prominent mantle ‘V’, solid dark (blackish) centres to scapulars and wing coverts, and coarse streaking on breast sides. Figure 7 (above). Juvenile Red-necked Stint, Hokkaido, Japan, August 22nd 2014. Note rather plain head pattern, finely streaked breast sides with buff wash often extending across breast, pale centres to lower scapulars with dark internal marking formed by the shaft streak and subterminal mark, and narrow white scapular tips. Grey wing coverts and tertials, lacking any rufous, contrast with those of typical Little Stint. Photos: Killian Mullarney (top), Pat Lonergan (above).

South Dublin Branch of BirdWatch Ireland - www.southdublinbirds.com Page 4 Figure 8 (top). Juvenile Red-necked Stint, Hokkaido, Japan, August 22nd 2014. A warmly coloured individual. Note very diffuse breast side streaking, warm wash across breast, pale cen- tered lower scapulars with dark shaft streak and distinct thin white tips, grey centered wing coverts and tertials. Figure 9 (above). Juvenile Red-necked Stint, Hokkaido, Japan, August 22nd 2014. A very grey individual overall. Compared to the greyish Little Stint in Figure 6, note lack of mantle ‘V’, fine breast side streaking, and restricted dark central markings in scapulars. Photos: Pat Lonergan.

Separating juvenile Little Stint, Red-necked Stint, Semi-palmated Sandpiper & esternW Sandpiper - Pat Lonergan Page 5 Figure 10 (top). Juvenile Red-necked Stint, Hokkaido, Japan, August 22nd 2014. Figures 11 - 12 (middle & above). Juvenile Red-necked Stint, Hokkaido, Japan, August 22nd 2014. Same individual. Note the effect of the arrangement of the scapulars on the extent to which the wing coverts are exposed. In Figure 11, the scapulars are fully spread and the wing coverts are almost totally concealed. In Figure 12, the scapulars are closely folded, lying in a compact group along the top of the wing, revealing most of the innerwing-coverts. Photos: Pat Lonergan.

South Dublin Branch of BirdWatch Ireland - www.southdublinbirds.com Page 6 Figure 13 (top). Juvenile Semi-palmated Sandpiper, Ballycotten, Cork, September 19th 2008. Figure 14 (above). Juvenile Semi-palmated Sandpiper, Achill Island, Mayo, September 25th 2011. Photos: Pat Lonergan.

Separating juvenile Little Stint, Red-necked Stint, Semi-palmated Sandpiper & esternW Sandpiper - Pat Lonergan Page 7 Figure 15 (top). Juvenile Semi-palmated Sandpiper, Achill Island, Mayo, September 25th 2011. Very monochrome appearance. Rather stout bill. Figure 16 (above). Juvenile Semi-palmated Sandpiper, Achill Island, Mayo, September 25th 2011. A small-billed individual. Note some warmth in ear coverts and upper scapulars. Photos: Pat Lonergan.

South Dublin Branch of BirdWatch Ireland - www.southdublinbirds.com Page 8 Figure 17 (top). Juvenile. Semi-palmated Sandpiper, Newburyport, Massachussetts, USA, August 27th 2012. Note that, especially early in the autumn, some Semi-Ps can appear warm toned. Figure 18 (above). Juvenile. Semi-palmated Sandpiper, Plum Island, Massachussets, USA, August 27th 2012. Photos: Pat Lonergan. Separating juvenile Little Stint, Red-necked Stint, Semi-palmated Sandpiper & esternW Sandpiper - Pat Lonergan Page 9 Figure 19 (top). Juvenile Semi-palmated Sandpiper, Plum Island, Massachussets, USA, August 27th 2012. Figure 20 (above). Juvenile Semi-palmated Sandpiper, Tacumshin, Wexford, August 24th 2011. Photos: Pat Lonergan.

South Dublin Branch of BirdWatch Ireland - www.southdublinbirds.com Page 10 Figure 21 (top). Juvenile Semi-palmated Sandpiper, with Ringed Plover and , White Strand, Louisburgh, Mayo, October 1st 2011. Figure 22 (above). Juvenile Western Sandpiper, Vancouver, Canada, August 3rd 2012. Photos: Pat Lonergan.

Separating juvenile Little Stint, Red-necked Stint, Semi-palmated Sandpiper & esternW Sandpiper - Pat Lonergan Page 11 Figure 23 (top). Juvenile Western Sandpiper, Vancouver, Canada, August 3rd 2012. The large bill can sometimes make Westerns look ‘front-heavy’. Figure 24 (above). Juvenile Western Sandpiper, Vancouver, Canada, August 3rd 2012. Photos: Pat Lonergan.

South Dublin Branch of BirdWatch Ireland - www.southdublinbirds.com Page 12 Figure 25. Juvenile Little Stint, Tacumshin, Wexford, September 14th 2011. Same greyish individual as in Figure 6. Photo: Killian Mullarney.

Figure 26. Juvenile Semi-palmated Sandpiper, Achill Island, Mayo, September 25th 2011. Photo: Pat Lonergan.

Figure 27. Juvenile Western Sandpiper, Vancouver, August 3rd 2012. Photo: Pat Lonergan.

Separating juvenile Little Stint, Red-necked Stint, Semi-palmated Sandpiper & esternW Sandpiper - Pat Lonergan Page 13 Status Atlantic coast of from New Jer- Little Stint is a Palearctic species. Red-necked sey all the way to the Gulf of Mexico, the West Stint is largely Palearctic with occasional breed- Indies and parts of northern . ing in Alaska. Semi-palmated Sandpiper is a In Ireland it is an extremely rare vagrant, also Nearctic species. Western Sandpiper straddles with four records; two in Wexford, the first Irish both Old and New Worlds with populations on record was a juvenile that frequented pools both sides of the Pacific. All four are on the Irish outside the Interpretive Centre on the North List with varying status. Figures are correct to Slob in September 1992 and a second Wexford the most recent Irish Rare Report for 2013 record was at the Cull Bank in August 1996. (Irish Birds 10(1): 71-102). There was a juvenile at Ballydehob, Co. Cork in September 1999 and an adult on Omey Island, Little Stint minuta Co. Galway in September 2008. Little Stint breeds across much of northern Eurasia in mainly high-arctic tundra from References & Useful Reading northern Scandinavia east as far as the delta of Alstrom P, Olsson U. (1989). The identifica- the River Yana and the New Siberian Islands. tion of juvenile Red-necked and Long-toed It winters widely across much of sub-Saharan stints. British Birds 82(8): 360-372. Available Africa, the Arabian peninsula and Indian sub- online at: www.britishbirds.co.uk/wp-con- continent. In Ireland it is an uncommon but tent/uploads/article_files/V82/V82_N08/ regular autumn passage migrant, with smaller V82_N08_P360_372_A101.pdf. and more infrequent numbers in spring. There Grant PJ. (1986). Four Problem stints. Brit- are occasional winter records. ish Birds 79(12): 609-621. Available online Semi-palmated Sandpiper Calidris pusilla at: www.britishbirds.co.uk/wp-content/up- Semi-palmated Sandpiper breeds from west- loads/article_files/V79/V79_N12/V79_N12_ ern Alaska east across northern Canada to the P609_621_A142.pdf. Atlantic coast. It spends the winter in southern Grant PJ., Jonsson L. (1984). Identification Florida, the West Indies and northern South of stints and peeps. British Birds 77(7): 293- America. In Ireland it is a scarce vagrant with 315. Available online at: www.britishbirds. 193 records since the first, a juvenile at Bally- co.uk/wp-content/uploads/article_files/V77/ cotton, Co. Cork in October 1966. The best year V77_N07/V77_N07_P293_315_A085.pdf. was 2011 when an incredible total of 63 were recorded. Veit RR, Jonsson L. (1984). Field identifi- cation of smaller sandpipers with the Red-necked Stint Calidris ruficollis Calidris. American Birds 38(5): 853-876. Red-necked Stint is largely a far-eastern re- Available online at: http://sora.unm.edu/ placement for the Little Stint although there is sites/default/files/journals/nab/v038n05/ a little overlap in their ranges. It breeds from p00853-p00876.pdf. the Taymyr peninsula in east to the Pacific and occasionally across the Bering Sea All the online documents were accessed during in western Alaska. It winters from southeast September 2015. Asia south through Indonesia to Australia and Acknowledgements New Zealand. In Ireland it is an extremely rare Thanks to Derek Charles, Richard Coombes, vagrant with just four records (all adults); Bal- Tom Shevlin and Killian Mullarney for provid- lycotton, Co. Cork has recorded two, the first ing photographs, some of which appear here. Irish record was in July 1998 and another in July/August 2002 and there were single birds at Pat Lonergan, Carne Beach, Co. Wexford in August 2007 and at Reenroe Beach, Ballinskelligs, Co. Kerry in October 2015 August 2011. Western Sandpiper Calidris mauri Western Sandpiper breeds in far-eastern Sibe- ria on the Chukotskiy peninsula as well as in western and northern Alaska. It winters from northern California south to Peru and along the

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