Yesterday when Ann Mitchell and I were at Montezuma NWR, we stopped by the Visitor Center and were talking to Chuck Gibson about shorebirds. He mentioned having seen a non-breeding plumage Ruff on the Visitor Center pond a week earllier, which would have been Tuesday 20 August. He said it was present about half an hour, during which time another staff member/volunteer saw it as well, and then it flew north. He declined to report it so as not to get people's hopes up because it left so soon. I think it's still worth knowing about even if it can't be chased. Also I think it would have been worth getting the word out immediately about such a rarity, because there might be birders very nearby even on a Tuesday, and if it had flown, that would still prompt everyone to be extra vigilant and check likely nearby habitat thoroughly.
--Dave Nutter
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