I wonder whether these unusually red dowitchers might have been of the
hendersoni subspecies. I don't see a way to investigate this on eBird, but
maybe other birders know whether "hendersoni" have been recorded at Dead
Creek?

Thanks and good birding,
Kyle Rosenblad
Shelburne

On Tue, Jul 13, 2010 at 4:18 PM, Maeve Kim <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

> I'd planned to be at Dead Creek from 9ish until 11 - but couldn't leave
> till almost 2:00. The BOD (Bird of the Day) was actually four: first one,
> then three, then four Short-billed Dowitchers in the same binocular frame!
> The first one confused me because it was much more reddish than any I’d ever
> seen, with the red extending farther down the belly than I thought was right
> for Short-Billeds. However, three of us soon agreed that they were indeed
> Short-Billeds. (Thanks to Kyle Rosenblad for finding the first bird, and to
> him and Peter Manship for helping with identification.)
>
> There’s a great deal of mud between the main road and the Brilyea Bridge,
> so shorebirding might just keep getting better and better. Other birds
> feeding on the mud flats today:
>
> Many Killdeer, possibly as many as two dozen
>
> At least 2 Spotted Sandpipers
>
> At least 2 Greater Yellowlegs
>
> At least 7 Lesser Yellowlegs
>
> At least 6 Semipalmated Sandpipers
>
> At least 12 Least Sandpipers
>
> A few distant and quickly-glimpsed mysteries – including a possible
> Solitary Sandpiper
>
>
>
> Larry Haugh helped me determine that what looked like a fuzzy Semipalmated
> Plover was an immature Killdeer. The picture of the downy young killdeer in
> the big Sibley guide is perfect.
>
>
>
> Also seen (starting with birds that elicited a “wow”, “yay” or “what
> the…???” response)
>
> One lone Snow Goose visible from the viewing area on Route 17
>
> 4 Caspian Terns – one adult, two juveniles, and one undetermined
>
> 1 immature Common Merganser – probably – The bird didn’t hang around for
> long.
>
> 1 Brown Thrasher enjoying an energetic dust bath
>
> 1 Red-tailed Hawk with something in its talons, being chased by several
> furious red-winged blackbirds
>
> 2 Osprey
>
> 2 Great Blue Herons
>
> Marsh Wrens – as always, audible but invisible
>
>
>
> 2 American Black Ducks
>
> 6 Mallards
>
> Ring-billed Gulls
>
> Herring Gulls
>
> Mourning Dove
>
> Eastern Kingbird
>
> Warbling Vireo
>
> American Crow
>
> Common Raven
>
> Tree Swallow
>
> Barn Swallow
>
> American Robin
>
> Gray Catbird
>
> European Starling
>
> Yellow Warbler
>
> Common Yellowthroat
>
> Savannah Sparrow
>
> Song Sparrow
>
> Northern Cardinal
>
> Red-winged Blackbird
>
> Common Grackle
>
> American Goldfinch
>
> House Sparrow
>
>
>
> This list has been entered in eBird.
>
>
>
> Maeve Kim
>
> Jericho Center




-- 
Kyle Rosenblad
Brown University 2010
133 Bacon Drive
Shelburne, VT 05482