A little more on the returning Ruff this morning, now that I'm home and not pecking at my phone screen in bad glare.
It's the annual "Who's gonna find it first" bird and I got it this year. YAY ME!
This is presumably the same returning bird that has graced this stretch of river for several years now.
The Ruff kept its head tucked almost the entire time I was there, but it moved enough I was able to see the short bicolored bill with white at the base.
Field marks to look for. Find the small flock of Dowitchers. There were maybe 20-25 this morning. The Ruff has orange legs. The Dowitchers have yellow-green legs. Find the bird with orange legs that probably has its head tucked in and is really boring. If the birds are foraging, look for thebird with orange legs and (compared to Dowitchers) has a fairly short bill that's 2 toned and white at the face.
I've had a couple of messages asking about the location. I made a map. https://photos.app.goo.gl/374LUgUCG8dLGpA88
Behind In n Out at Imperial HWY and La Palma is where I sometimes park to ride my bike along the river. You can also park at Riverdale Park and walk (or bike) in thru the gate at the far side of the field and walk east on the south side of the river trail. The bird could be easily seen from either side of the river this morning. Pick a side. GO. The only other thing going on right now are imaginary birds conjured up by Merlin so you have nothing to lose. This bird is real, I swear.
There were also quite a few reallyspiffy looking peeps, mainly looking like Least Sandpipers, though admittedly, I did not scan very thoroughly after I found the Ruff, so who knows what else is here or might show up tonight
Trish Gussler, Anaheim