Reddit reviews The Shorebird Guide

General field guides like Sibleys and Petersons probably are going to have to generalize a bit on shorebirds which can be pretty complex. I've been using this book which has been super informative!

Shorebirds are quite a tough category. If you want to get into them seriously, I'd go for one of the in-depth books like The Shorebird Guide.

Other than studying textbooks though, what you probably want to do is research the "likely" ones, and then look them up with online resources.

It would be best to have someone with you when you go, who can say "well, in this group of 1000 Semipalmated Sandpipers I see 1 Baird's Sandpiper, and this is why I say that." This kind of experience is invaluable, because a lot of Sandpiper ID rests on very subtle queues. As you scan through the group, you see one that has a little bit different posture, has a more "graceful" neck, has longer primary extension beyond the tail, etc....and that makes you take a closer look and try to confirm other features to make the ID. There aren't many written resources that teach all of that very well, although that book I listed has some pretty good stuff in it.

Without a local guide, I think your best bet is to try and find out what to expect by searching eBird, and then research those particular common species using online resources.