Canada's First Greater Sand-Plover
Richard has experience with Sand-Plovers and recalled the field marks that separate Greater from the Lesser complex. His first thoughts were that the bird was small and had a jizz (a birding term meant to signify the general impression of size and shape) resembling that of a Lesser Sand-Plover. The structure of the bird from its leg length to its bill size seemed okay for a Lesser Sand-Plover, despite the pale colour of the legs that Richard noted in the field. Richard didn't try to take the ID any further than a Lesser, since the bird was not in full breeding plumage and lacked any flank markings that would identify the bird as a "Mongolian Plover".
The Lesser Sand-Plover group is famously complicated, and what was once considered the "Mongolian Plover" group of Lesser Sand-Plover Charadrius mongolus mongolus/stegmanni is now considered a species called Siberian Sand-Plover Anarhynchus mongolus. The other three subspecies of the Lesser complex, C. m. atrifrons/pamirensis/schaeferi, are now considered Tibetan Sand-Plover Anarhynchus atrifrons.
Richard Thomas took photos of the plover that evening and circulated a detailed email discussing how he arrived at the Lesser Sand-Plover ID to some local birdwatchers to get the word out, with photos attached. As soon as these photos were forwarded to Newfoundland birders beyond Richard's email, some whispering arose of the bird's potential as not a Lesser, but a Greater Sand-Plover. The bird's bill in Richard's photos appeared fairly large, and everyone took note of how pale the legs looked in the evening sun. Soon after word got out, Virginia Connors was able to capture some additional photos of the bird in the same location, adding to the impression that the bird had a bill befitting that of a Greater Sand-Plover. In all the excitement, a few other serious birders were able to get on the bird before sunset, but much of the tentative ID was going to have to wait until morning.
On the morning of April 13th, birdwatchers from all over the Avalon peninsula descended upon the small town of Biscay Bay, where it was seen by many as the sun rose. The first reports saw the bird in the same location it had been the night before, on a small sandflat just 50 metres from the road, resting on one leg, perhaps waiting for the sun to warm the shallow water around it and the tide to fall so it could begin feeding in the mud. The weather was sunny and warm that morning, unusual for early spring, and at one point the plover flew into the road and landed on the solid yellow line where it stayed for a while soaking up the heat of the pavement. The heat shimmer became so apparent on the asphalt that photographing the bird in such an open, easy location was at times difficult. Once the bird returned to its sandflat, photographs became much simpler, but the bird was clearly agitated by the number of people nearby. Taking to wing often and moving between its sandflat and more rocky, exposed areas along the mouth of the river made it a challenge to find at times but also allowed open-wing shots of the bird while in flight which helped nail the identity of the species.
Greater Sand-Plovers can be told from their close relatives the Tibetan and Siberian Sand-Plovers by a few key field marks:
Bill size: Greater Sand-Plovers have a long, tapered, robust bill in comparison to the shorter, blunt, thin shape of those in the Lesser group, who often show a somewhat bulbous tip.
Wing pattern: Lesser Sand-Plovers show a very straight white wing bar in the upperwing, whereas Greater Sand-Plovers have a "bulging" primary bar. Lessers also have duskier under primary coverts showing what's called a "comma" on the underside of the wing, but this feature can be unreliable due to moult, lighting, and overall subjectivity.
Leg length: Greater Sand-Plovers have long legs that extend past the tail in flight fairly reliably. Lesser Sand-Plover legs are hidden beneath the tail in flight. The length of the legs can be difficult to judge if the bird is only seen on the ground.
Tail pattern: Greater Sand-Plovers have a dark-grey/black subterminal tail bar that contrasts with a white terminal end to the tail. In Lessers, the tail is pale greyish all the way through the tail to the white terminal bar.
Before Richard's find, there were two previous records of Greater Sand-Plover in all of North America. Both records were from the U.S.A.; one that wintered at Bolinas Lagoon, California, from January 29 - April 8th, 2001, and one that stayed for a fortnight in Huguenot Memorial Park, Duval County, Florida in May of 2009. This record, solidified by the above field marks, gives the continent its third record and a first for Canada! As of April 12, 2025, eBird Canada had recorded 698 species in the country, with about 15 undocumented or unconfirmed records yet to make it to the website. This wonderful addition makes 699, and the 428th species for Newfoundland and Labrador. Some may recall that just a few months ago, there was an article published on this blog discussing predictions for NL's next new addition. In the survey, nobody predicted any species of Sand-Plover, and only after its publication did Kyle d'Entremont suggest Siberian Sand-Plover as one of his predictions, thinking it was a long-shot. There are many records from the Pacific coast of North America for Siberian Sand-Plover, as their range extends to far Western Alaska, and nearly a dozen more throughout the U.S.A and two records for Canada (Presqu'ile Provincial Park, Ontario 1984 and Anticosti Island, Québec 2023). As such, Kyle's prediction for Siberian Sand-Plover was a well-educated guess, but nature has a way of doing what is least expected, and we're glad that's the case.
Robert (Bobby) Blackmore