SOME RESULTS OF THE MARSH SANDPIPER/WILSON’S PHALAROPE SEPARATING
CHARACTERS ENQUIRY.

Dear All,
It has been such an interesting exercise and well worth having raised
the problems that might be associated with ever identifying a real
Wilson’s Phalarope for the day that one turns up!

It was whilst watching the Marsh Sandpiper swimming in circles in deep
water at Thika Settling Ponds, that Nigel Hunter and myself came to
the realisation that this looked so much like a Wilson’s Phalarope,
how would you actually conclusively identify a bird seen like this as
to whether it is one species or the other totally unrelated one.

On going through the literature, it was obvious that authors had not
really given attention to the potential confusion, as presumably it
would be expected to see either leg proportion difference or the
pattern of white on the rump and back.