Limnodromus griseus
Order Charadriiformes
Family Scolopacidae
Subfamily Scolopacinae
Adult in spring.— Upper parts mixed black and buffy; rump aud tail white, spotted with black; sides of head and under parts pinkish-brown, finely spotted with black.
Adult in fall.— Head and back pale slate-gray; wings dark gray, spotted with whitish; throat and breast brownish-gray; belly white; rump and tail white, barred with black.
Immature.— Upper parts black, mixed with reddish-brown; rump and tail as in adult; under parts washed with buff and indistinctly speckled with dusky.
The Dowitcher is a rather common migrant along the coast in May, and again in July, August, and early September. It frequents mud-flats and sand-bars, is very tame, and generally occurs in close flocks. It may be known by its long bill, dark back, and silvery gray lower back, rump, and tail. Old birds in May and July have pale reddish breasts, but the young birds in August and September have light under parts.
Hoffmann – A Guide to the Birds of New England and Eastern New York (1904)