[CT Birds] Ruff photos and notes

[Nick Bonomo]

Thanks again to Frank Mantlik for the great find this morning.

I was lucky enough to see the Ruff this afternoon after Meredith
Sampson and Penny Solum relocated the bird at low tide, when 25+
yellowlegs were scattered along the river. My looks were quite distant
and poor, but thanks to digiscoping I was able to grab a few crummy
images, which are posted here:
http://picasaweb.google.com/nbonomo/Ruff

Our distance and lighting conditions did not allow any plumage details
to be discerned, but going on size alone I believe this bird to be a
male. In the field and in the photos, the bird's body size was very
similar to the surrounding Greater Yellowlegs. Ruffs exhibit dramatic
sexual dimorphism, with males being close in size to Greater
Yellowlegs and females closer to Lesser Yellowlegs. However I do not
have extensive experience with the species, and I would appreciate any
comments on this bird's sex.

One very useful feature, when picking this bird out from a distance,
were the stiff-looking mantle feathers that often stick up when the
Ruff is bent over feeding.

Nick Bonomo
Orange, CT