We asked:

You encounter a flock of exactly 100 small sandpipers; careful inspection proves that they are all of the same species. On a whim, you count the toes, coming up with an absolutely accurate total of 602. What is the species?

Famously, the only small sandpiper lacking a hind toe is  Sanderling. Thus, a flock of exactly 100 birds of this species should have exactly 600 toes, three per foot.  But the hypothetical flock in our question has a total of 602. What gives?

It turns out that the rare individual Sanderling can have hind toes: the first such bird I’m aware of was reported as early as 1904 by Francis H. Allen. Thus, a flock of 100 Sanderlings, including one of these eight-toed deviants, would account for a grand total of 602 toes.

Congratulations to Grant McCreary for the first correct answer and to Bob Behrstock for making us laugh out loud with his pair o’black toes!

The next WINGS trivia question will appear in the November e-newsletter. Have a look, and maybe you’ll join Grant and Bob in keeping your head warm this winter.

California’s second, believe it or not, Ivory Gull is an adult hanging out on Pismo Beach near San Luis Obispo. Gonna be a few birders there in the morning!

We’re birders all, of course, but wouldn’t you look away from the feathered folk for just a moment if you saw that face looking up at you?

Looking “up” because you’d be elephant-back, close enough for the thrill, far enough for safety.

Paul Holt writes about the excitement of our latest tour to Ranthambhore, Nainital, Bharatpur, and Corbett:

We knew instantly what it meant when we heard one of the park guides whistle: people in another vehicle were watching a Tiger! And there, walking right up the middle of the jeep track, was our first Tiger. It was a fantastic encounter, with the animal in view for almost 15 minutes, walking right up the center of the forest road as if she owned it—which we knew she did.

Someone was heard to mutter that any birds we saw after our Tiger would simply be a bonus.

This was our third game drive inside Ranthambhore Tiger Sanctuary, and we’d go on to see two more fine beasts on our fifth and last drive, plus a solitary male at Corbett. That makes seven years in a row that we’ve seen Tigers on this tour….

See out the Year of the Tiger with Paul February 7-24, 2011! Just call us if you have any questions about this fantastic tour, full of birds–and some pretty exciting mammals, too.