just in case anyone has an itch……… 😉

LA

From: CALBIRDS@yahoogroups.com [mailto:CALBIRDS@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Paul Lehman lehman.paul@verizon.net [CALBIRDS]
Sent: Friday, August 02, 2019 11:02 AM
To: calbirds@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [CALBIRDS] Fwd: Little Stint at saltworks

An adult Little Stint, presumably one of last winter’s two birds, has returned to the salt works on Friday the 2nd. They are dropping the saltworks pond that is half a mile east of 13th Street, and the bird is frequenting the first, southwest corner of that pond. It has molted out of breeding plumage quite a bit but still has a faint orange cast to the rear of the head and nape area and a few of the black feathers with broad rusty edges on the lower scapulars and tertials remain as well. It still has fine dark spotting on the sides of the upper breast but otherwise the underparts are totally clean white, and of course it has a notably short and fine-tipped bill, and a faint split supercilium. Otherwise, I cannot find any rare shorebirds on this pond despite the large numbers of birds present, including plenty of juvenile Western sandpipers.

The stint remained for an hour and a half in the same area and presumably is still there when we left, although the water level will be substantially lower tomorrow as the pond further drops, and so the bird could easily move to another area. No guarantees, although certainly it isn’t going anywhere given it’s presumably a returning wintering bird.

Paul Lehman, San Diego

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