English and Scientific names:	Ruff, Philomachus  pugnax
Number of individuals:	1 molting adult male
Locality: LOUISIANA:	Iberville Parish
Specific Locality:	South Farm in a pool in NW quadrant.  It is the one that zig-zags
Date(s) when observed:	22 july 2006
Time(s) of day when observed:	1100
Reporting observer and address:	Ed Wallace New Orleans LA
Other observers accompanying reporter who also identified the bird(s):	None. I had left the company of the other three I was with because they did not want to walk exposed in the mid-morning heat
Other observers who independently identified the bird(s)	None
Light conditions (position of bird in relation to shade and to direction and amount of light):	Backlit.
Optical equipment:	Brunton Epochs, 8X45, Excellent
Distance to bird(s):	25 feet
Duration of observation:	30 seconds
Habitat:	Drained pool with mud banks.  At least 10 feet from the nearest marsh grass
Behavior of bird:	It was almost laying on its belly in the pool.  When I approached too quickly, it got up and took off with the rest of the birds.  It then flew back right in front of me with a flock of pectoral sandpipers and greater yellowlegs.
Description:	It first caught my eye because of its short decurved and bi-colored bill.  I am not aware of any other NA shorebird that has this combination of features.  Also it was relatively plump in appearance and had a squat posture - a lot like a red Knot.  It had a nocticeable white eye stripe, a lot of white on the front of the face and streaked brownish head.  The back had a black and white checker-board appearance.  When it lifted off, you could see it was considerably larger than the pectoral sandpipers it flew off with.  The tail showed a lot of white on the sides.  I did not see the legs.  Note the white did not go all the way across the rump like the picture in the National Geographic Guide.  However, I went to Shorebirds:  An Identification Guide by Hayman, MArchant and Prater.  The rump pattern I saw was a lot closer to the patterns shown there.
Voice:	It did not call.
Similar species:	Pectoral sandpipers have a slightly decurved beak which is bicolor.  However, the demarcation between the orange and black on the beak was much more contrasting than with the pectorals.  It also was much larger than the pectorals with which it was associating with.  Red knots have the combination of decurved beak and plump look.  They also are about the same size.  However, the beak was shorter and knots have a unicolor beak.  However, the tail was all wrong.  There is no white on a knots tail.
Photographs or tape recordings obtained?	I did not have a camera or a tape recorder.  My fault.
Previous experience with this species:	I have seen them twice in California in fields.  However, others had spotted them for me and I had to be explained concerning the field marks.  Note these were winter records in different plumages and good looks at the red legs.
Identification aids:	at time of observation: I did not know what I was looking at. However, looks at National Geographic and Sibleys I was fairly confident that it was a ruff.  after observation: When I got home I looked at Shorebirds:  An Identification Guide by Hayman, MArchant and Prater, Petersen's Guide and Golden's Guide
This description is written from:	I wrote this from notes I took when I got home.  However, I went over the field marks with the people I was travelling which reinforced my memory.
Are you positive of your identification? If not, explain:	Initially no because I really did not know what I was looking at.  However, by reviewing all the material that I had available, I am fairly confident that I had seen a ruff.
Reporter:	Ed Wallace
Date and time:	7-29-2006, 1815