Sanderling

I have a suggestion: crop the 3 best images to just show the bird as large as possible within their size constraints and send them to http://www.birdforum.net in the bird identification Q&A section. You will certainly generate a lot of interest and discussion. It is possible that Little Stints can be seen in Netherlands during February as the numbers wintering there have been increasing in recent years. It is also possible that the hind toe is simply "out of sight" as on some birds it is extremely short. I know nothing of interbreeding so....

I have to admit the dark colour confused me also, my first thought was Little Stint but way too far north. Sanderlings in winter are much paler but in summer they are much darker, so yours is on the change but hasn't lost the white above the eyes yet. Yours also has a slighty shorter bill than most Sanderlings and some Stints do have longer bills just to add to the confusion. It seems birds are becoming more like humans, lots of individual variations creeping in. Perhaps its natures way of creating new species to replace those which are lost!

Hi Tony, not sure what bird you mixed this up with, but Sanderlings and Little Stints in winter are very similar, the Stints being slightly browner and more clearly defined, and they often get mixed up even by experts. Sanderlings run faster and for longer than Stints and sometimes chase off Stints which are feeding nearby, although they only move a few feet away. Here is a link to one of my pictures of the two together: http://www.projectnoah.org/spottings/9249205 Little Stints are migratory so you are unlikely to see them in your area until about April, but although many spend the winter in Africa there are many more that spend winter on the south coast of Spain.

Great series and sighting. This is a Sanderling (Calidris alba). Note the longer bill, paler, cleaner complexion, and, most importantly, the lack of a hind toe.

What a cute little bird, and you photographed it beautifully.