A true rarity, just the second sighting in the ABA Area, and only the second sighting in the Western Hemisphere, a Greater Sand-Plover was reported today, 14 May, by Doris Leary, Lesley Royce, and Carol Adams a Huguenot Lagoon in Huguenot Memorial Park in Jacksonville, Florida. The ABA Code 5 species winters in South Africa, Australasia, and the Mediterranean region (ABA Checklist, Seventh Edition). This species is generally 20 percent larger than its congener, Lesser Sand-Plover, but their sizes can overlap. Greater Sand-Plover is slightly larger-headed, larger-bellied, and longer-legged than Lesser (The Shorebird Guide, O'Brien et. al.). The Jacksonville bird is reported to be in alternate plumage. Photo is courtesy of Ron Clark taken on 22 May.
Below image, courtesy of Danny Bales.
Photos have been posted at:
http://www.southfloridabirding.com:80/images/tasphotos/Greater_Sandplover.jpg
http://www.flickr.com/photos/28226894@N03/?saved=1
Posted by: Joe Morlan | May 15, 2009 at 01:28 PM
I also wrote a blog post about the experience with photos of this and other birds here:
http://leicabirding.blogspot.com/2009/06/rare-shorebird-visits-florida.html
Posted by: Jeff Bouton | June 06, 2009 at 12:06 PM