ddavid

A couple of thoughts based mainly on irsychan's comments.

Firstly, the photo was taken on September 1st 2009. The autumn date and the relatively fresh plumage of the stint indicates that it's a juvenile - and therefore rather different from the birds we've been seeing recently.

The prominent pale stripes on the mantle & scapulars are suggestive of Little Stint. However, Red-necked Stint juvs can also show such stripes, albeit usually far less prominently than Little.

The warm, rufous fringes to most of the upperpart  feathers (in most of the photos)are also suggestive of juv Little Stint.

However, I think this bird is a juv Red-necked Stint (albeit a well-marked individual - there is lots of variation)based on the coloration & pattern of the lower scapulars and tertials. This is best shown in the 4th photo.

To me, the problem with these photos when it comes to assessing identification (and I'm not commenting on the aesthetics of the images) is that the enhanced contrast, saturation etc in post-processing has made the bird appear much warmer/richer in coloration than it would have appeared in reality.

I'm no expert, however, and - of course - welcome other informed comments on the matter.

ddavid

Generally speaking, the V-shaped pattern on the mantle & scapulars is a good indication of juv. Little Stint. Most field guides & books on waders mention that these stripes are usually indistinct or lacking on Red-necked Stint. However, there is individual variation and I think one needs to check other features to confirm the id.

As I mentioned, the pattern/coloration of the lower scapulars & tertials on this bird seems to fit Red-necked more than Little, as does the lack of a split-supercilium, the rather poor streaking on the breast sides and the rather thick-tipped bill. I suspect the  prominent V-pattern shown by this bird (and the rather rich coloration)is, to an extent, a result of post-processing of the image.