Turnstone at Oare Marshes: 2 Dec 2020

I popped in to Oare Marshes briefly in the hope of catching the waders moving on the rising tide. I failed! The sun was great: the tide was just right... then a front of cloud moved over and the whole event changed in a couple of minutes! Before my epic failure with the tides, I had spent a minute or two in the company of a Turnstone (which included my slipping on the algae-covered sea defenses...  

Turnstones, or Ruddy Turnstones s they perhaps should be known in this global communication correctness, has two subspecies with the nominate form Arenaria interpres interpres has a huge arctic breeding range from NE Canada, northern Greenland, northern Europe and Asia to Alaska. Birds that winter in the UK are from the NE Canada and northern Greenland area as the European breeders winter in West Africa.

So, this young chap has likely come from Canada/Greenland, nice. But is it young and is it a chap?  And looking at the paper by Meissner and Cofta, I'm still not 100% sure...

vast breeding range from northeastern

Canada, through northern Greenland, northern Europe

and Asia to northwestern Alnterpres