Avian Watch Asia - Rufous Necked Stint??

Hi to all,

Inspired by the great detective work that Steve (Cuckooroller) usually provide us, I decided to give this ID challenge a go....

Firstly, the bird should be a Calidris sp. Why? I can't really answer that but all I can say is that the features of the storky body built with respect to a stubbish legs is the best I can offer.

OK... here is a list of the Calidris sp. that occurs in Singapore:

Great Knot Calidris tenuirostris Uncommon passage migrant 12"
Red Knot Calidris canutus Very rare winter visitor 10"
Sanderling Calidris alba Uncommon winter visitor 8"
Spoon-billed Sandpiper Calidris pygmeus Rare winter visitor 6"
Red-necked Stint Calidris ruficollis Common winter visitor and passage migrant 6.5"
Temminck's Stint Calidris temminckii Rare passage migrant 6"
Long-toed Stint Calidris subminuta Uncommon winter visitor and passage migrant 6.25"
Pectoral Sandpiper Calidris melanotos Very rare vagrant 9"
Sharp-tailed Sandpiper Calidris acuminate Rare passage migrant 8.5"
Dunlin Calidris alpine Rare passage migrant 7.5"
Curlew Sandpiper Calidris ferruginea Common winter visitor and passage migrant. 8.5"
Lesser Sand Plover Charadrius mongolus Common winter visitor and passage migrant 8"

The Mongolian was included in the list as a size comparison factor.
Hence just based on size alone, the following birds can be elimated...

Great Knot
Red Knot
Sanderling
Pectoral Sandpiper
Sharp-tailed Sandpiper
Dunlin
Curlew Sandpiper

That leaves us with the following:

Spoon-billed Sandpiper
Red-necked Stint
Temminck's Stint
Long-toed Stint

Noticed that the Little Stint is NOT in the list. Yes, it has not been recorded in Singapore before; but being a bird that is virtually indistinguishable from the Red-necked Stint, I hope our birder friends have not been mis-IDing this bird! Well let's for now assume that the Little Stint don't occur here.

Cannot be the Spoon-billed Sandpiper... because it has no spoon-bill! Not the Temminck's Stint because it should have a uniformly darker and duller brownish grey upperparts and greyish breast, & yellowish or greenish legs. Not the Long-toed Stint because no yellowish or greenish legs.

So here u go... by the method of elimination, the bird should be the Red-necked Stint or Rufous-necked Stint (Calidris ruficollis) in transitional and winter plumage.

MM