Dunlin Calidris alpina
Titchwell, Norfolk, England. |
1st November. Titchwell RSPB reserve, Norfolk England. (Also seen: Thailand: UAE; USA - FL, WA & CA.)
A few birds were seen on the beach they were in small groups scattered along the lower wetter parts of the sand. Small groups would fly up and down the water line in both easterly and westerly directions.
Probably the most familiar Calidrid to birders in the UK. It can be found in all seasons on many coastal beaches and estuaries and also on some inland waterways from time to time.
There are loads of subspecies of this bird, 9 in total. Those that we have seen could be, in the UK, birds on passage from the subspecies arctica, schinzii (which breeds in the UK), and alpina, the latter probably also those that we saw in the UAE. In the USA pacifica would occur along the western seaboard in CA and WA and hudsonia along the eastern in FL.
Long-bill and bright spring plumage of hudsonia Milford, Connecticut, USA |
Juvenile, race unknown, Titchwel RSPB, Norfolk, England. |
hudsonia, Sanibel Island, Florida, USA |
pacifica, Ocean Shores, Washington, USA |
Birdlife International (2013) Species factsheet: Calidris alpina. Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org on 06/02/2013
Remarkably long-billed individual, Rhos-on-sea, Gwynedd, Wales. |
For more information on this species see:
Birdlife International species factsheet: http://www.birdlife.org/datazone/speciesfactsheet.php?id=3056
Arkive: http://www.arkive.org/dunlin/calidris-alpina/
Internet Bird Collection: http://ibc.lynxeds.com/species/dunlin-calidris-alpina
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