Needles Found

"I wouldn't have seen it if I didn't know it was there."

The bright rusty brown back on the bird in the middle of this image belongs to an alternate-plumaged Dunlin. This species was once called "Red-backed Sandpiper" for obvious reasons.

I don't know who first offered the quote above, but it often plays out in birding. The power of suggestion sometimes leads us to abandon our own objectivity. By posting public comments, the early respondents led those who came later down the primrose path of group think. Those who looked and offered their responses later all found the same "Ruddy Turnstone" in the bottom right quadrant of the original image. Surely the bright rusty back of this bird is suggestive of that species, but even without zooming in there are aspects of this bird that tell us it is not a Ruddy Turnstone.

In the blown-up image one can see the reddish brown on the crown and the extensive gray on the nape (also noticeable in the original image), which tell us this bird is a Dunlin. If this were a Ruddy Turnstone it would show white and black across the nape and broad black bar on the scapulars and no reddish brown on the crown. There are at least two other Dunlin in this close-up, including the bird immediately behind and slightly to the right of the bird with the bright rusty back and the smaller white-breasted bird up and to the left a bit (note the black belly feathers molting in). 

Everyone managed to find the Willets in this image, including the bird in the very bottom right hand corner of the image above. Willets are large bulky shorebirds, nearly as large as the godwits, with a medium length bill (slightly longer than the head) and mostly grayish overall plumage. This bird is still in mostly basic (winter) plumage, but is starting to show some alternate feathers coming in on the back.

This Black Turnstone was in the bottom left quadrant of the original photo.

Similarly, everyone found the one Black Turnstone. Turnstones are rather distinctive plump, short-legged, and short-billed shorebirds that spend most of their time feeding on rocky outcroppings or cobble beaches. Like most of the other birds in these images, this Black Turnstone is in alternate plumage. Note the large white spot at the base of the bill and the white line over the eye. These white markings are not shown by a basic-plumaged Black Turnstone.

Including the Marbled Godwits, the Black Turnstone, the Willets, and the Dunlin, we are now up to four species in this group. I found two more. Many folks recognized that there were some dowitchers in this image, and those who offered that they looked like Short-billed were correct. I zoomed in on all the dowitchers and I didn't find any that I thought were Long-billed, though some are hard to tell for sure. By the date this image was taken (26 April) dowitchers should be showing full alternate plumage, which is the case with the birds in the quiz images. In alternate plumage, the westernmost subspecies of Short-billed Dowitcher (caurinus) differs from Long-billed Dowitcher in showing heavier alternating white and black barring (hash marks) down the flanks, extensive white on the belly, and a more golden look to the back and scapulars. Alternate-plumaged Long-billeds are solidly rufous below with obvious black barring down the flanks. The black bars have a slight edge of white that can only be seen at close range, so they will typically show no obvious white barring on the flanks. The upperparts of Long-billeds are darker overall with mostly dark feathers narrowly edged with rufous, rather than the broad buffy golden edges shown by Short-billeds.

The bird in the left center of this image is an alternate-plumaged Short-billed Dowitcher. Note the alternating black and white barring down the flanks (just above the pink and black godwit bill) and the broad buffy golden edges to most of the back and scapular feathers.

Though a bit out of focus, it is apparent that the sleeping dowitcher at the bottom of this image shows quite a bit of white on the belly, making it a Short-billed.

The last of six species that I was able to find in this image was a single Western Sandpiper. It was well hidden in plain sight, mainly due to the fact that it is the smallest species in the original image. Westerns have a fairly distinctive head pattern with a bright rusty crown and a mostly gray face with a rusty patch behind the eye. They are noticeably smaller and shorter-billed than a Dunlin, which can look somewhat like a Western from the back in alternate plumage. Westerns show more pattern to the back and don't look as solidly red-backed as the Dunlin. 

The tiny Western Sandpiper in the middle of this image is dwarfed by the Marbled Godwits that surround it. Notice that the back looks more brown rather than mostly rusty like the Dunlin. It is not shown well in this image, but alternate-plumaged Westerns typically show bright rufous in the scapulars that contrasts noticeably with the back and wing coverts.

Ultimately, I found six species in this flock. At least two respondents (one private) suggested that a couple of the larger sleeping birds might be Long-billed Curlews, which they may well be. Obviously, I had the advantage of being able to play around with close-ups of the original images. There could still be some other species that we all missed. So, as pointed out in the first paragraph, don't be limited or immediately influenced by the conclusions of others.