Too big, and it's likely not from the species that carries the most flu here, the calico-patterned
ruddy turnstone.
Some of the biggest surprises were in the shorebird category -- dunlin,
ruddy turnstone, American golden plover, long-billed dowitcher, yellowlegs (both kinds) and sanderling among them.
RUDDY TURNSTONE Glasgow, Scotland Turnstones will fly over 500,000km in their lifetimes.
If you've walked along the sandy beaches on the Gulf Coast, you may have seen a
Ruddy Turnstone. No, it is not the lead singer for the Margaritaville house band.
Coincident
ruddy turnstone migration and horseshoe crab spawning creates an ecological 'hot spot' for influenza viruses.
Other birds sighted in the lake include the Glossy Ibis, Caspian Plover, Sanderling,
Ruddy Turnstone, Gull-billed Tern that prefer coastal areas.
Other notable records he has made include sighting of Glossy Ibis, Caspian Plover, Sanderling,
Ruddy Turnstone, Gull-billed Tern, etc., that are partial to the coastal areas.
dominica indicated 0.88 0.26 golden-plover breeders Bar-tailed Limosa indicated 0.75 0.26 godwit lapponica breeders
Ruddy turnstone Arenaria indicated 0.83 0.00 interpres breeders Semipalmated Calidris indicated 0.75 0.13 sandpiper pusilla breeders Baird's C.
Look for whimbrel, long-billed curlew, black-bellied plover, Pacific golden plover, greater yellowlegs,
ruddy turnstone or long- and short-billed dowitcher - species that are many times seen only at this time of year for a period of a few weeks.
At least 11 species of migratory birds, including
ruddy turnstone, red knot, sanderling, and semipalmated sandpiper, depend on the billions of eggs that the crabs produce during the spring spawn.
My favorite is the photo of the
ruddy turnstone feeding on a horseshoe crab.