Well this was a bird I never expected to see. While Lesser Sand-plover (previously known as Mongolian Plover) is somewhat regular in some of the Alaskan island vagrant traps I think there's maybe one inland North American record. And since I found I kind of like birding in the tropics this last winter I don't know if I'll ever make it to Gambell or Attu or wherever. But, somehow, one fell out one breakwall short of Michigan.
These are cropped fairly tightly
It was a much bulkier bird than I expected. Based on Sibley plates of the bill I was expecting a Wilson's-like bird, but the long legs and bulky body made it seem somewhat intermediate between Wilson's and a Golden Plover. Sibley points out the brown nape; all of our small, variously breast-banded plovers have white that extends back there.
In the drizzly light rain the ISO was pushed pretty high. You can just make out a hint of a buffy breast band. The white feathers in front of the primaries aren't wing feathers, rather flank feathers that are loose (and shown on both sides). I have no idea if they have looser feathers than most shorebirds (like Ruff) or not.
There is also a bird known as Greater Sand-plover, a resident more of the Middle East and central Asia (rather than Siberian Asia) which per O'Brien et al would have even longer legs and a longer bill. It fed and preened pretty actively while we watched it.
The pale feather edgings of the scapulars and wing coverts make it a juvenile. It must have spent most of its life flying to get to Indiana. Now if it could just come a few miles farther...
2 comments:
Matt: all you had to do was organize a group of people to chase it north across the lake, and it would have landed at Tiscornia!
Don't think it wasn't discussed! At least to the state line...
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