Re: [Maine-birds] Dunlin (Greenland) - Popham Beach

Dear Maine birders,

This Greenland Dunlin is a super rarity. Congratulations to Mike Fahay! The photos look good for Greenland (or Arctic) Dunlin, Calidris alpina arctica. But Doug Suitor says there were TWO of these birds there earlier that he and David Ladd saw. I don't think they photographed the other bird, but it was similarly small, short-billed, dull gold and auburn on the scapulars, and streaked on the breast over a white background.

First things first—any Dunlin that shows up here in fall migration from July to September with a black-belly patch and retained breeding plumage is almost certainly NOT one of our usual migrants from northern-central Canada (C. a. hudsonia, the Red-backed Dunlin). Birders should immediately start scrutinizing such a bird and attempt to photograph it. The North American, Pacific, and east Asian populations of Dunlin molt on the breeding grounds or at molt migration stopovers far to our north. They arrive here in "winter" plumage. The Greenland (arctica), Iceland and European (schinzii and nominate alpina) populations differ in molt and migration strategy. They migrate southbound with their breeding plumage. So, breeding plumage Dunlins here are likely a vagrant and true rarity. Our Red-backed Dunlins in spring are quite different. Compare the dull, gold and brown backed bird photographed by Mike (http://ebird.org/ebird/iss/view/checklist?subID=S24535141) with a northbound hudsonia that I photographed at Popham (https://flic.kr/p/cea7GQ, also see description of subspecies in my notes there and the length of that bill).

Greenland Dunlin (C. a. arctica) has only been documented in the U.S. a couple of times, not including the present birds. There are several sight records, a specimen (August 11, 1900 at Monomoy, MA), and photographs (e.g. July 29, 2007 at South Beach, Chatham, MA). In searching past records, Marshall Iliff found that Doug Suitor had photographed another probable arctica (or schinzii) at Popham two years ago on 21 July 2013 (http://ebird.org/ebird/iss/view/checklist?subID=S14700290).

The birds found today and the 2013 bird photographed by Doug are among only a handful of records for the U.S. of these Greenland-European Dunlin (there is also a single specimen of nominate alpina from Massachusetts). They are the only ones for Maine as far as I know. If anyone has photos of such birds from late summer to early fall, I'd like to hear about them. The Maine Bird Records Committee agreed to begin reviewing rare occurrences of non-species-level birds as needed, and these certainly fit the bill. It is important to document these as well as possible. If anyone sees and photographs these Dunlin at Popham tomorrow, please let me know.

Louis Bevier

Fairfield