Having a little stint out on the marsh
The tiny shorebird (middle of shot)
Little Stint (Calidris minuta)
with extensive range across Europe, Africa, and Asia. Very rare vagrant in North America. All ages show dark legs and a straight, fine-tipped bill. Adults in breeding plumage are variably flushed with bright rusty orange on the head, neck sides, and upper-parts, usually brightest in mid- to late-summer. Compared with breeding Red-necked Stint, note white throat and more uniformly bright wing coverts and scapulars on Little. Juveniles are typically quite bright and neatly patterned above, often with bold white stripes or "braces" down the back, and have very black-centred wing coverts and tertials. Non-breeding birds rather plain pale grey and extremely difficult to separate from other small “peeps”. Note bill shape and overall structure. Temminck’s has longer tail and more crouched posture; Red-necked has slightly shorter bill and legs and more attenuated wings. Found in fresh and brackish wetland habitats. Occurs locally in flocks; elsewhere singles travel with flocks of other waders
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Whiskered Tern flock (Chlidonias hybrida) 7984
Small buoyant tern. Breeding adult has distinctive dark smoky grey body and contrasting white cheeks (can look like broad white "whiskers" in flight) underneath a black cap. Non-breeding plumage pale silvery grey overall with a faded shadow of the cap; juvenile has dark-checkered back. Note rather stout bill (albeit thinner than Gull-billed Tern) and square tail; compare to Common, Roseate, and Arctic Terns. Feeds by picking from surface, not splash-diving like typical terns. Common around wetlands, lakes, and rivers.
Having a little stint out on the marsh
The tiny shorebird (middle of shot)
Little Stint (Calidris minuta)
with extensive range across Europe, Africa, and Asia. Very rare vagrant in North America. All ages show dark legs and a straight, fine-tipped bill. Adults in breeding plumage are variably flushed with bright rusty orange on the head, neck sides, and upper-parts, usually brightest in mid- to late-summer. Compared with breeding Red-necked Stint, note white throat and more uniformly bright wing coverts and scapulars on Little. Juveniles are typically quite bright and neatly patterned above, often with bold white stripes or "braces" down the back, and have very black-centred wing coverts and tertials. Non-breeding birds rather plain pale grey and extremely difficult to separate from other small “peeps”. Note bill shape and overall structure. Temminck’s has longer tail and more crouched posture; Red-necked has slightly shorter bill and legs and more attenuated wings. Found in fresh and brackish wetland habitats. Occurs locally in flocks; elsewhere singles travel with flocks of other waders
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Whiskered Tern flock (Chlidonias hybrida) 7984
Small buoyant tern. Breeding adult has distinctive dark smoky grey body and contrasting white cheeks (can look like broad white "whiskers" in flight) underneath a black cap. Non-breeding plumage pale silvery grey overall with a faded shadow of the cap; juvenile has dark-checkered back. Note rather stout bill (albeit thinner than Gull-billed Tern) and square tail; compare to Common, Roseate, and Arctic Terns. Feeds by picking from surface, not splash-diving like typical terns. Common around wetlands, lakes, and rivers.