Dear Krista Hayward,

Thank you for being a part of eBird. Well-documented records are critically important to make eBird as useful as possible for scientific research and conservation. Thank you for your documentation and assistance with the eBird data quality process.

I am writing to thank you for your observation:

Species: Baird's Sandpiper
Count: 1
Observation Date: Jul 16, 2024
Location: The Hook, Chebeague Island, ME, Cumberland, Maine, US
https://ebird.org/checklist/S187313980

Your observation has been accepted and is now an important part of the overall picture for this species.

Merlin can’t be trusted. That’s what I see all too often in eBird. And confirmation by the observer is so critical. In this case, your excellent photos of the bird confirm an adult Baird’s Sandpiper at a very early date. We do not see many adult Baird’s here in fall. As with most shorebirds, the adults migrate south first, sometimes by several weeks ahead of juveniles.

Well done! Thank you for the great photos and record.

Louis

Thank you again for your contributions to eBird—your observations help to make eBird useful to millions of people each year, providing real-time bird information and powering eBird science around the world.

Learn more about eBird data quality here
and eBird science here.

Louis Bevier