The Baird's sandpiper is a small shorebird. It is among those calidrids which were formerly included in the genus ''Erolia'', which was subsumed into the genus ''Calidris'' in 1973. The genus name is from Ancient Greek ''kalidris'' or ''skalidris'', a term used by Aristotle for some grey-coloured waterside birds. The English name and specific ''bairdii'' commemorate Spencer Fullerton Baird, 19th-century naturalist and assistant secretary of the Smithsonian Institution.
Similar species: Shorebirds And Allies
By Thibaud Aronson
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Uploaded Sep 8, 2019. Captured Sep 7, 2019 17:13 in 301 Riverlands Way, West Alton, MO 63386, USA.
comments (6)
For some reason, I really wanted to find that species, and I'd seen that 2 individuals had been reported from Riverlands (the migratory bird capital of Missouri) on Friday.
So I headed out, but once I got there, and started looking at the distant waders in the ponds, barely distinguishable little brown silhouettes, I remembered: "Oh wait, I'm terrible at identifying waders..."
I finally gave up, and on my way out, I briefly stopped at a pond that is more famous for often harboring rare ducks. And there, on the concrete boat ramp, stood a lone sandpiper.
Now, I'd never seen Baird's before, but I knew it is less aquatic than its relatives, and often found on somewhat drier substrate...
As I got closer, I could tell it didn't match the silhouettes of the more common sandpipers (pectoral, least etc). Furthermore, at some point, a fish jumped out and startled it, and the bird let out a distinctive call "krrrrt", unlike any wader I'd heard.
My heart in my mouth, I crawled closer, but while he was jumpy, twitching every time the fish splashed nearby, he didn't seem to mind me, and I got quite close. And when he turned, showing me his full side, and those long, long wings, extending way past the tail, I knew I had him :)
This is juvenile, as indicated by the delicate white fringes on his feathers. He was born in the Canadian Arctic, and in the next few weeks, he will have to fly all the way down to South America. I hope he has a safe flight! Posted 5 years ago
I'm at 485 species for Colombia, and I hope to top 600 when I'm back next year!
Posted 5 years ago