To add to Nick's notes: When I first spotted the Ruff, what caught my eye was its noticeable slightly smaller size when it was between 2 Greater Yellowlegs. Other observed features that also set it apart from the yellowlegs were: it's chunkier, rounder body and neck, dark legs, buff coloring of neck and upper body, white flanks with fewer markings. One of its behaviours really got my attention: occasionally, it would zip back and forth very rapidly several times - a couple feet one way, then a couple feet the other way. Also, once in a while, it's tail would pop upright. I totally dipped on my efforts for any digiscoped photos - lighting and distance were not in my favor. Hopefully, the Ruff will stay for a while for others to enjoy. Meredith Sampson Old Greenwich -- "Nick Bonomo" <nbonomo@gmail.com> wrote: Thanks again to Frank Mantlik for the great find this morning. I was lucky enough to see the Ruff this afternoon after Meredith Sampson and Penny Solum relocated the bird at low tide, when 25+ yellowlegs were scattered along the river. My looks were quite distant and poor, but thanks to digiscoping I was able to grab a few crummy images, which are posted here: http://picasaweb.google.com/nbonomo/Ruff Our distance and lighting conditions did not allow any plumage details to be discerned, but going on size alone I believe this bird to be a male. In the field and in the photos, the bird's body size was very similar to the surrounding Greater Yellowlegs. Ruffs exhibit dramatic sexual dimorphism, with males being close in size to Greater Yellowlegs and females closer to Lesser Yellowlegs. However I do not have extensive experience with the species, and I would appreciate any comments on this bird's sex. One very useful feature, when picking this bird out from a distance, were the stiff-looking mantle feathers that often stick up when the Ruff is bent over feeding. Nick Bonomo Orange, CT _______________________________________________ This list is provided by the Connecticut Ornithological Association (COA) for the discussion of birds and birding in Connecticut. For subscription information visit http://lists.ctbirding.org/mailman/listinfo/ctbirds_lists.ctbirding.org _____________________________________________________________ Burn fat. Finally, a diet plan that works. http://thirdpartyoffers.juno.com/TGL2121/fc/Ioyw6i3nsBdAtO3tAVLAXaS0SM0xDFRpFfmVmrQvU981NEBYwt8ecD/