Was it a Knot, or not?

Well camouflaged among the dark seaweed along the shore,
this Red Knot was finding all sorts of small invertebrates
among the sandy beaches at Damon Point.

Happened upon another odd bird sighting today that made me question my ID skills once again. Out at Damon Point (Ocean Shores, WA) once more I found a Red Knot searching for food along the shore. Like the Brant, these birds breed and nest in the high arctic, with both eastern and western populations overwintering on the Atlantic coast and along western Mexico. Red Knots will stop over here in larger numbers later in August, but that doesn’t usually happen for another several weeks. Perhaps this little fellow wanted to get a head-start on migration to scope out the best places to find refuge in the winter months. As you can see by my picture, they are well adapted to camouflage among the reddish-colored seaweed along the shore.  I’m glad this Knot was alive, but had it been dead, and had I been on a COASST survey, I would have had my trusty backpack with me, filled with all sorts of really impressive materials that I would have used to walk me through the identification process. Red Knots might easily be confused with other similar sandpipers by sight, but once you measure carefully the wing, bill, and examine the feet of this species, all pieces of the COASST protocol, you’ve got a much more detailed and precise identification.  I’ve been able to see some of the literature and protocols COASSTers use on several surveys now, and I have to say that this material is top notch! I consistently hear from COASSTers how much they appreciate the quality of these resources and after wandering the coasts in search of birds the past couple of days, I can see how such information is an invaluable asset in the quest to collect consistent, reliable, and high quality data.