need help Sandpiper ID?

there are a few

1.

all shot at fort desoto FL

I was just at Desoto and the first one looks like a Weatern sandpiper, but I am not sure.

thank you....I was leaning that way but with sandpipers I am just never sure so I like to ask the pros

I just started birding last year so I'm no expert. I think the second bird is a Least Sandpiper. The third bird appears to be a Dunlin. Both birds are in winter plumage making it harder to identify them for us beginners. You have some really nice shots of them.

thank you so much for the dunlin I could not find any sandpipers with that long of a bill it was making me crazy

At first I thought it was a Curlew Sandpiper, but they are very rare.

Solid IDs guys. Winter plumage shorebirds are very tough.

A Western Sandpiper will have a very compressed look to it, since its wingtips do not extend past the tail. It will look like someone has clipped its wings because it has a relatively short tail compared to the other shorebirds. They are also one of the palest winter plumage shorebirds.

In my opinion, Least Sandpipers are the easiest to ID. Our smallest shorebird in the world, they have the distinct characteristic of having a very short bill, only one head width in length. On top of that, the yellow-green legs tend too look like they are attached further back on the body. This will give them a forward leaning posture that is more exaggerated compared to the other shorebirds. You captured this posture perfectly in your image.

The Dunlin is sometimes classified as the largest of the peeps (the five smallest shorebirds in NA, six if you include the Dunlin). Next to a Western, it will have a much longer appearance because of its extended wingtips and tail, and will be about 1/3 larger. A longish bill for its size, slightly hinting at a curve. Winter plumage Dunlin will have a dark, wide, and obvious chest band. Displayed perfectly in your image. Dunlin are also much darker than a Western Sandpiper.

Though he doesn't include Dunlin in his "peeps" list (I do), Cameron Cox's essay on the North America's smallest shorebirds is a fantastic source for beginning to learn how to ID shorebirds.

Hope this helps

No idea of the ID but they are great images, well done.
Stuart.

Both the top and bottom look to be dunlin. The middle is a least.

Evan wrote in post #16463962
Both the top and bottom look to be dunlin. The middle is a least.

Thanks for the ID confirmation Evan and the link.