September 17 Email:
Hi, Ric
I am visiting Muskegon for a couple of weeks, have been at the Wastewater property for several days, and have been watching your Recent Sightings blog. I live in Florida, but grew up out in Moorland (county bought my parents' farm as part of the Wastewater project).
I have a number of pictures of shorebirds that I am having difficulty identifying in spite of web searches. If you are willing to help me, it would be greatly appreciated. Obviously the bird in the picture is either a Black-bellied Plover or an American Golden-Plover (hope so, would be a life bird).
Again, if you are willing to help, THANK YOU. If you can't, no problem.
Rog Newell
Valrico, FL
Rog, my shorebird book says the Black-bellied has a thicker bill and neck and a chunkier less attenuated body than the American Golden-Plover. It also has a picture of a molting adult American Golden-Plover with plumage much like the one in your picture. Using that book I'd have said American Golden-, but looking at Google images I'm not so sure. Hopefully someone with more shorebird expertise will chime in and identify your bird. Thanks for the photo! - Ric
Rog also sent this photo of a banded Peregrine Falcon at the Wastewater. I'm posting it below and will email Nik Kalejs at the DNR to ask if it might be one of the ones he banded at the Cobb Plant earlier this year. (By opening the photo in a separate tab on your browser, you might be able to zoom in closer on the leg bands.) - Ric
3 comments:
That's an adult American Golden-Plover transitioning from alternate to basic plumage, still showing traces of alternate black on the underparts. Also note the dark cap.
Thanks for the quick reply, Nathan! Do you happen to know the first and last name of the Peregrine? :-)
I believe it is "Falco peregrinus" :)
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