[SBB] Both Ruffs and Albino WESA at Alviso EEC

[Andy Pedler <[[email protected]]>]

Today at lunchtime I drove out to Alviso.  I started at the corner of State and Spreckles, where a leucistic/albino WESTERN SANDPIPER was feeding with a large group of WESA's.  This bird was the most "albino" specimen of any species I've seen.  The eyes were dark, all plumage was white (the primaries had a hint of grayness, but it could have simply been feather shadow), the bill and legs were yellow.  The color of the bill and legs was a pale yellow, somewhere between the shades of a typical Least Sandpiper's legs and that of a Yellowleg.  The size and shape of the bird was a match for the Western Sandpipers that it was associating with.  After watching it for about 20 minutes (until around 12:40 PM), it flushed and flew out of sight.  I was unable to re-find it, but there are hundreds (maybe thousands) of peeps in that pond.  This bird stands out like a sore thumb.

Both RUFFs were present (healthy and gimpy), and were viewed
 from Spreckles road, as it rises up north of the intersection with State St., just across from the "City of San Jose, Spreckles" sign.  They were initially hunkered down in the shrubs on one of the nearby mud islands, but then both came out and foraged giving good views.

There were swallows flying around, but I didn't spend the time to work on ID'ing them looking for anything unusual.  A PEREGRINE FALCON was on the last power tower south of the entry road (probably eyeing the albino sandpiper...an easy target).  A LOGGERHEAD SHRIKE and WHITE-TAILED KITE were seen at the bend in the entry road, along with a RING-NECKED PHEASANT male.

Andy Pedler - Newark, CA

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