Astonishingly enough, there appear to be those who do not believe that the juvenile least sandpiper is the most beautiful of all the world’s shorebirds.
Me, I have a hard time looking away when one presents itself. Who knows what feathered wonders I miss this time of year when I’m glued to the scope eyepiece out in the marshes?
Quite apart from their stunning colors, these little sandpipers have another allure: one of them could, just could, someday turn out to be not a least but a long-toed stint, a bird I have never seen but am constantly, so far fruitlessly, on the lookout for.
The lovely little least sandpiper above — here a larger image — dazzling as it is, wasn’t a very good candidate for misidentification. The pale forehead and nape, neat dark lore stripe, and brightly fringed wing coverts were all perfect for least and all not so great for its much rare cousin. Generously enough, just to seal the deal, it also repeatedly showed me its middle toe (a gesture distinct, I assume from showing me its middle finger).
Not quite long enough, even with all that gloppy mud.
