המועדפים של dowitcherqueen

This bird has been widely discussed over the last few days.

Through a partnership with Duda Farms, Audubon Everglades was granted access to this restricted area. This invitation only event was a thank you to last years AE field guides. Our field guide for this trip was Kyle Matera. This is the only event scheduled at this time.

From our ebird report:

On an Audubon Everglades trip into Duda Farms in Palm Beach County we found what we believe is a Common Redshank. The bird was first picked out by Steve Carbol as a possible Ruff. (Oddly enough a confirmed Ruff was photographed on same trip and was ID’d only after trip was over and one of the participants was reviewing photos.)

After getting the bird in my scope the first thing I noticed was just how incredibly bright red-orange the legs were on this bird, like nothing I had ever seen. While observing the bird in the field we noted the glaringly bright orange legs (which are really not done justice in the photos), a bicolored bill with similarly bright orange at the base and black towards the tip. We also noted the clean gray back, some gray on the breast, a light grey & white face, and some barring on the undertail. We believe we eliminated Spotted Redshank based on the birds size, bill length and bill coloring, with the bicoloration appearing to split midway down the bill, instead of mostly on the lower mandible in a Spotted. We got to watch the bird for 10 or so minutes with a few brief glimpses afterwards while we attempted to relocate it. The white primary is only on the left side and appears to be aberrant.

Please see ebird checklist here for better photos: https://ebird.org/checklist/S117293450

Update - After many discussions with European shorebird experts, hybrid is now seeming like the most likely. Potentially the first documentation of CREH x LEYE. Tringa sp. perhaps?

I have scope videos if anyone would like to see them I can email.