On 10 Sep 1985, John Mariani reported a juvenal Little Stint at Moonglow Dairy, Moss Landing. He took photos, but those would not be processed for weeks. Birders had read the recently published paper by Grant & Jønsson (1984) and were prepared to search for this vagrant, using new characters. Several locales searched on following days, but the stint was not found; two Semipalmated Sandpipers were present.

On 14 Sep, Don Roberson located a juvenal stint that would prove, by comparison of photos much later, to be the same Little Stint found by Mariani. The word was spread and crowds gathered over the next few days to view it (above). Pond #1 was mostly full, with just a few mud bars showing [as it would be in 2008 when another Little Stint was found here]

The Little Stint was identified by a combination of its unwebbed toes, short and fine-tipped bill, contrasty mantle pattern of black-centered scaps and coverts, long primary projection, prominent white 'braces' on the back, and a prominent split supercilium. Most of these points can be seen on the following photo.