PICTURE 24:
The literature is probably full of incorrect "readings" of Grey Plover moult,
however, the field-worker should be very careful or even: meticulous. (Of course
one can only guess about a certain category of statements in the literature). I
took this bird in the middle of the night in dense fog, the plumage was a little
moist, and all feathers seemed to belong to the same generation: fresh - or old.
The breeding plumage was practically intact and not worn at all, and the bird
was in very good condition, heavy and large. In sweeping light from the camera i
could see how P1 - 3 gave a slightly greyer hue on pictures, however, and that
is my best call: P1 - 3 fresh, arrested or suspended after that. (When were they grown: in
spring or in summer?) There are more disruptions (maybe caused by handling) in
the vanes of P4 and P5, that might be the only visible effect of one year's wear
and tear in these feathers. Or is the greyer hue simply an artefact, caused by P1 - 3
getting the central flashlight at a certain angle (cf. hues in
Fig. 3 of "Adult buff" document)? In the end my own reading may be incorrect,
and daylight exposures are to be preferred in cases like this. Falsterbo Peninsula 11.9.08. [CP]

PICTURE 25:
A stroke of luck: Stockholm 352XX07, Common Sandpiper, ringed as 1c Skanör 11.8.08, controlled ibidem 29.7.09. There were a lot of greyish, white-edged coverts beneath the scapulars; they seemed to belong to some feather generation prior to the glossy breeding plumage. Higher up, not visible in this picture, were even more of the same kind, with a distinct juvenile or winter character, and all practically unworn. [CP]
First published 6.8.07, last addition 29.7.09.