tags: Wilson's Plover, Charadrius wilsonia, birds, mystery bird, bird ID quiz
[Mystery bird] Adult Wilson's Plover, Charadrius wilsonia, with chick, photographed at Brazoria Wildlife Refuge, Texas. [I will identify this bird species for you in 48 hours]
Image: Joseph Kennedy, 31 July 2009 [larger view].
Nikon D200, Kowa 883 telescope with TSN-PZ camera eyepiece 1/160s f/8.0 at 1000.0mm iso400.
Before you ID this bird species, tell me: how many legs do you see?
Please name at least one field mark that supports your identification.
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This is a summary of several of the better books I’ve had the opportunity to review here, organized in general categories.
tags: birds, mystery bird, bird ID quiz
tags: conservation, endangered species,
Family Guy, S07E02 'I Dream of Jesus':
Peter: Brian, can I see that paper for a sec?
(Brian gives Peter the paper. Peter peruses the paper.)
Peter: Huh... that's odd... I thought that would big news.
It must be Australian - the poor chick can't bear to watch the cricket.
(they're enduring and England-esque collapse at the hand of England. If I was an Aussie, I'd be hiding too)
I guess I'm going to call that a Wilson's plover... but I'm not really happy about it. The beak doesn't seem quite right. But maybe that's the effect of foreshortening? And the breast band seems awfully minimal, even for a female? But I can't make anything else work as a breeding shorebird in Texas.
And I see three legs, which makes no sense either. Either mom or chick has one leg tucked up, or is hiding one behind one of the others?
Interesting (and frustrating) shot, any way you slice it. :-)
Good call on the Wilson's Plover -- my first thought was nonbreeding Spotted Sandpiper, but the bill's too short and thick. Snowy Plover also seemed like an outside possibility, but the leg color is wrong. The chick does have one leg up -- if you look between the joint of the visible leg and the black spot on the chick's underside, you can see a bit of yellow that looks like the foot.