[Maine-birds] Re: Rare Waders Grand Slam, Eastern Rd Trail, Scarborough Marsh, 6/28: LIEG, hybrid heron, WFIB, apparent WFIBxGLIB

Hi Derek,

Where were these birds in the marsh?  I'm heading up on the 9th of July to look for them.

Thanks,

Andrew

Yonkers, NY

On Friday, June 28, 2019 at 9:42:52 AM UTC-4, D Lovitch wrote:

Hi all,

In a rare June guiding-free visit to Scarborough Marsh this am, I had planned to spend a few hours studying and enjoying Saltmarsh and Nelson's Sparrows but instead was mostly distracted by wading birds.

1 LITTLE EGRET - dark lores, bill length, overall structural differences, etc, readily apparent, but head plumes were not; may have already been dropped.

1 PATCHES, JR: the hybrid Tricolored Heron x small white egret(s) of varying degrees.

1 WHITE-FACED IBIS
- classic, continuing adult although facial skin beginning to fade since the last time I saw it.

1 apparent WHITE-FACED IBIS X GLOSSY IBIS HYBRID:
- briefly with WFIB for good comparison. Phone-scoped photos of questionable value.
- narrow white border to mostly purplish facial skin, a little pink visible at base of bill.
- eye appeared dark reddish or reddish-brown
- pale grayish legs, somewhat fleshy in tone, with full pink "knees."
- did not see open wings or tail to confirm age to rule out 2nd summer WFIB completely, but all signs are of a "classic" Plegadis hybrid, which seems like it should be more regular around here by now, yet there are only a handful of sightings over the years here, in part due to ID challenges especially outside of high breeding.

1 Greater Yellowlegs - likely oversummering individual that has been present all month.

And yes, lots of sparrows, too.

-Derek


Sent from my iPhone

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