Bird of the Day

I get a bit of a rush every time I run into these medium-sized sandpipers in winter, as Dunlin aren’t Seapoint regulars like the Purples. But like Purple Sandpipers they are a dark shorebird with long droopy bills. To tell them apart whenn they mix, Dunlin are smaller and instead of orange legs and an orange-based bill, their bills are all dark as are their relatively long legs. Maine seems to be on the northern fringe of their winter range and they are few and far between here, though lately there’s been a flurry of reports in the Maine bird lists.  This one, from a group of 3 in adult winter plumage, is paler and less distinct than the Dunlin I posted back in September, which I believe were molting adults. In a few months they’ll take on fresh summer coats with bright reddish backs and big black belly patches, and large numbers will be moving back up the Atlantic coast toward the Arctic. Fetched at Seapoint, Kittery Point.