Spotted Sandpiper, Maybe
As most of the Mallards dozed, a very energetic smaller bird walked quickly along the shoreline, threading its way between the bigger birds. After considerable searching, I found myself stumped as to its identity. Its yellow legs and its neck are too short to be a Yellowlegs. Its beak is yellowish and slightly turned downward. It has a white eye stripe. My best guess is that it’s a Spotted Sandpiper female in winter plumage. A male in breeding plumage would have prominent trademark spots on its breast, but I found pictures of seasonal variations on the web that closely resemble this bird. If you know better, please post a comment.
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