Sighting Record for Utah

Common name:	White-rumped Sandpiper
Scientific name:	Calidris fuscicollis
Date:	05-25-2026
Time:	8:30am
Length of time observed:	10 minutes
Number:	9
Age:	Adult
Sex:	Unknown
Location:	Ouray NWR - first pond on auto tour loop, Sheppard Bottoms
County:	Uintah
Latilong:	40.13008, -109.64613
Elevation:	4662
Distance to bird:	75 yards, give or take
Optical equipment:	Swarovski NL 8x42 binocs, Sony RX10 mark IV camera (25x optical zoom)
Weather:	Partly cloudy, calm. Did not note temp but probably around 60.
Light Conditions:	Good, fairly bright, sun behind me so birds were well lit
Description: Size of bird:	A little smaller than the nearby Stilt Sandpiper, bigger than a Western Sandpiper, so around 7
(Description:) Basic Shape:	Impression was of a rather large, elongated sandpiper
(Description:) Overall Pattern:	Gray and black pattern on upper side with some warm brown tones mixed in. White below with fine dark streaking.
(Description:) Bill Type:	Medium length (for a sandpiper), slight droop at tip, black, blunt
(Description:) Field Marks and Identifying Characteristics:	Feeding birds; Long wings extending past tail gave the birds the elongated appearance. Shading and streaks on neck and chest gave it a slightly hooded look. Fine streaks continued past shoulder along flanks. Head pattern: distinct dark eyeline and light eyebrow, darker cap. Cheek, nape and throat grayish and finely streaked. Some rufous highlights on head and back, variable among the birds I saw. Black legs. Birds in flight: long wings with whitish wing stripe, darker area around primary coverts, diagnostic white band at base of tail without dark center stripe of other likely sandpipers. (see photos)
Song or call & method of delivery:	No sounds heard (that I attributed to these birds), no playback used
Behavior:	Actively feeding on exposed mud, moving steadily and probing. Flushed once and flew in a small circle before landing and continuing to feed.
Habitat:	Shallow freshwater pond with sparse emergent vegetation and strips of exposed mud.
Similar species and how were they eliminated:	Size and wing length separated them from most of the usual small peeps seen here. Most like Baird s Sandpiper but distinguished by flank streaking and white across base of tail in flight. Also grayer than the Baird s I ve seen in this location before.
Previous experience with this & similar species:	No previous experience with this species and limited experience with Baird s. I mostly see WESA and LESA around here. I am not a shorebird expert so I rely on taking lots of photos and studying them at home before posting IDs.
References consulted:	Ran photos through Merlin to get likely candidates then reviewed species accounts in Sibley, online (All About Birds), and The Shorebird Guide (O Brien, Crossley and Karlson). Also looked up previous eBird records for this area and elsewhere in Utah, compared my photos to notes and photos posted by other birders.
Description from:	From memory From photo(s) taken at the time of the sighting
Observer:	Kathy Paulin
Observer's address:	2828 W 1500 N, Vernal, UT 84078
Observer's e-mail address:	**
Other observers who independently identified this bird:	None on this day although Adam Nielson reported one at this location on May 18, 2026. Previously reported at Ouray and nearby Pelican Lake in 2024 and 2025, as well as some older records.
Date prepared:	05-26-2026
Additional material:	Photos
Additional comments:	I have lots of photos, all at the limits of what my camera can do but showing field marks reasonably well. The photos attached to my eBird checklist are representative of what I have. I opted to rely on getting photos instead of setting up a scope because I didn t know how long the birds would stick around, and I had my camera in hand already.