Talk:Least sandpiper

There is a move discussion in progress on Talk:Curlew Sandpiper which affects this page. Please participate on that page and not in this talk page section. Thank you. —RMCD bot 09:15, 4 May 2014 (UTC)

There is a move discussion in progress on Talk:Curlew sandpiper which affects this page. Please participate on that page and not in this talk page section. Thank you. —RMCD bot 22:45, 4 May 2014 (UTC)

I was excited last week to get what I thought would easily be the best photo of a least sandpiper on Commons. I should've known better -- there are at least a couple other excellent options, and all in breeding plumage. Figured I'd open this thread and ping the major contributors to figure it out. Option A is the current infobox photo by Needsmoreritalin, showing our little friend with a snack. Option B is Stephan Sprinz's recent FP in an upright pose. Option C is the one I just took (currently under review at FPC).

My own, obviously biased, take: A is obvious to include in the article somewhere -- I don't know if eating makes it a better or worse candidate for the infobox. B is adorable, but not a pose you often see these birds in (if that matters) and a little bit lower resolution (but still good, so probably not consequential). I actually like A and B better as photos -- in comparison, the one I took is a bit more like what one Commons regular calls a "species passport photo", but the straight on, high-detail shot from down-low, on the side is also kind of the typical infobox photo.

Pings for a few recent/major contributors: @Big iron, Jimfbleak, and McMadagascar:. — Rhododendrites ^talk \\ 16:19, 6 September 2025 (UTC)

C works best for the infobox in my opinion. A looks a little blurred because the bird is eating, and it isn't in the center of the image. A should still be included in the article somewhere though, like you said. McMadagascar (talk) 16:47, 6 September 2025 (UTC)

They are all very good images. Each has an unobstructed view of the subject, good feather detail, shows the necessary field marks for identification. A and C were taken at a shorter distance from the subject and are larger, but B does not suffer from heat distortion and while smaller, if cropped for the info box, the loss of size is really not an issue.

Obviously I am partial to my photo as @Rhododendrites is partial to theirs. But B and C have less distracting elements in the background than my image. You can see the feet on B, and the lack of webbing that distinguishes it from a semipalmated sandpiper. I am not sure if that is an issue so much.

Its a tough call. All are good images, with slight differences in their usefulness. The food is probably not so important. I would make no objection if my image were moved.

If we are having a discussion about this I have a couple of images I have not uploaded yet that could be contenders. Would their be any objection tp uploading them and sharing them with the group? Needsmoreritalin (talk) 17:33, 6 September 2025 (UTC)

Tough call, personally I'd pick B ahead of C, but happy with any of these Jimfbleak - talk to me? 20:21, 6 September 2025 (UTC)

I'd be against using my picture (B) as the infobox picture, since it shows a juvenile. IMO C would be the best for this purpose. --Stephan Sprinz (talk) 09:41, 15 September 2025 (UTC)

For your consideration, I have uploaded one additional file. This image was taken on a colder, overcast day, no distracting shadows, uniform lighting on the subject, no atmospheric distortion.

Needsmoreritalin (talk) 14:12, 7 September 2025 (UTC)