Formerly lumped with the similar Long-billed Dowitcher (L. scolopaceus), juveniles of the two species are fairly easy to distinguish. In this plumage the tertials of Short-billed are extensively marked with internal spots which Long-billed does not have. Short-billed is a longer distance migrant not usually remaining to winter in California except locally along the coast in major tidal bays and estuaries. Three subspecies are recognized. This is the western race L. g. caurinus, juveniles of which have narrower upperpart fringes appearing darker overall than the other two subspecies. Canon PowerShot SX60 HS.
References:
Chandler, R. (2009). Shorebirds of North America, Europe, and Asia: A photographic guide. Princeton Univ. Press.
Jehl Jr., J. R., J. Klima, and R. E. Harris (2001). Short-billed Dowitcher (Limnodromus griseus), version 2.0. In The Birds of North America (A. F. Poole and F. B. Gill, Editors). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bna.564
Van Gils, J., Wiersma, P. & Kirwan, G.M. (2018). Short-billed Dowitcher (Limnodromus griseus). In: del Hoyo, J., Elliott, A., Sargatal, J., Christie, D.A. & de Juana, E. (eds.). Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona. (retrieved from https://www.hbw.com/node/53885 on 19 October 2018).