Semipalmated Sandpiper (Calidris pusilla), Gilbert Water Ranch, Maricopa County

This Semipalmated Sandpiper was found and photographed by Pierre Deviche on 10 April 2018 and also photographed by Sean Fitzgerald on 11 April 2018

Casual in spring and potentially record early for Arizona and the western United States. Only the second record for the heavily birded Gilbert Water Ranch (based on eBird reports).

Short straight all black beak, brownish crown and auriculars, lacks rufous colored scapulars and has a browner face. Note also the relatively small head and chest, lacking the heavy front end appearance of a Western Sandpiper. Most early April Western Sandpipers are grayer, still lacking the high colors of the breeding season.

10 April 2018, photo by Pierre Deviche

11 April 2018, photo by Sean Fitzgerald

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