Upper closeup
Lower closeup
Another closeup
(see MPEG movie stills for size comparison and additional images
In Plumage: Overall russet tones are especially dark. The otherwise normally whitish belly, sides, flank are suffused with a creamy wash (stain?). The vent is smeared broadly with a rich band of rufous color not unlike a towhee. An especially dark auricular stands out from an already richly colored head. Quite dark between the eye and bill. Breast streaking abruptly cutoff from the belly.
In morphology: Possibly standing a tad taller than adjacent normal Least Sandpiper. Not considered larger than nearby Semipalmated Sandpipers. Leg color from a grayish olive to a dingy yellow (the latter most noticeable from the back of the legs). Bill structure somewhat stout and long for the species.
Jizz: Heavy in the chest for the species - reminiscient of a Pectoral Sandpiper. Leaning forward on longish legs, the bird gave the impression it was about to topple over at any moment. This individual was decidely different from anything else on the mudflats (130+ Semipalmated Sandpipers, 19 Least Sandpipers) and could be picked out at any time from 100 yards without the need for much of a search.
