Would love it if someone could confirm these ID's please. All photos were taken down around Kororoit Creek, Altona.
Pic #1 - Two Red-necked Stints and a Sharp-tailed Sandpiper at the back
Pic #2 - Two Sharp-tailed Sandpipers(?) and a Curlew Sandpiper on the right
Pic#3 - Common Greenshanks
Pic #4 - Sharp-tailed Sandpiper
Pic #5 - Red-necked Stint
How can you tell the difference between Sharp-tailed Sandpipers and Pectoral Sandpipers?
Cheers!
On Pectoral vs Sharp-Tailed, extracted from Shorebirds of Australia:
Pectoral has a generally clear divide between the streaked breast and white belly. Also its undertail bits are clean white or only very faintly sreaked, while Sharp Tailed is always clearly streaked. Also, apparently the line through the eye (supercilium?) is broader and more prominent in front of the eye in Pectoral while it continues through boldly in the Sharp Tailed. But I'm not sure how reliable these last two points are, as there seems to be variation in pictures...
So, based on that, my thought would be:
1. Sharp Tailed
2. I'm pretty sure the one standing up is Sharp Tailed, but the one bending down could be Pectoral?
4. Sharp Tailed
So, that would be:
1. Sharp Tailed Sandpiper and a pair of Red Necked Stints (I've based the left one on the tapering, upturned tail, which is a defining characteristic)
2. Sharp Tailed (standing up) and Pectoral (bending down). Based on the nice, clean delineation of feathers on the breast. But I'm not at all sure about that- three different birds close together in one frame seems unusual... Plus, as you say, a Curlew Sandpiper.
3. I'm not sure... their bills look ever so slightly upturned, thus Common Greenshank, but the plumage looks more like Marsh Sandpiper to me. Still, I think Common Greenshanks.
4. Sharp Tailed Sandpiper
5. Red Necked Stint
Man this is doing my head in!
Ok here are 2 more shots.
1. Is a follow up of the 2 birds in shot #2 - shows more belly that looks pretty white so maybe they are both Pectoral Sandpipers.
2 Is a close up of another bird that looks a lot more streaked so probably a Sharp-tailed...
You know when I was there, at first I thought I was only looking at 1 species, then I noticed some were slightly larger so maybe 2. By the time I got home and uploaded them I definitely saw 3 and now I'm up to possibly 4 species!