dowitchers (1 Viewer)

herring99

Well-known member

• Oct 5, 2003

• #1

Hi all,

attached (hopefully as it is my first attempt at this) is a picture i took two weeks ago on my honeymoon on the gulf coast of Florida. The bird was on its own on the sand in the evening, hence the quality of the image. It made no sound while i watched it and there were no others within scoping distance. I'm sure its a dowitcher but can't tell which one. Can anyone help?

All the best

Herring:stuck:

 

Attachments

• 
  unk.jpg

  79.3 KB · Views: 305

DaveN

Derwent Valley Birder

• Oct 5, 2003

• #2

Hello herring99.

Looks like a Long- Billed Dowitcher to me but I'm sure someone will tell me if I'm wrong.

Billy Boy

 

Michael Frankis

conehead

• Oct 5, 2003

• #3

Hi Herring,

Probably Short-billed, but that is only probable, not definite. Based on (a) the grey breast breaks up into freckles (rather than having a more well-defined edge to the grey), and (b) the fairly large amount of black on the underside of the tail.
Sandy coastal habitat also suggests Short-billed, they prefer tidal sites, Long-billed more on fresh water. But like everything to do with dowitchers, there's a lot of overlap in this, and I fear it is impossible to give a 100% accurate ident for it.

Michael

 

L

logos

Well-known member

• Oct 5, 2003

• #4

I fully agree with Michael, a positive id is impossible in this case though Short-billed seems the most likely.

Spud

 

E

Edward woodwood

Member

• Oct 5, 2003

• #5

despite having seen lots of Sb dows recently I'm still not totally sold boys.....flanks are a little heavily marked and the breast is rather dark compared to the sbilleds i saw, most of which were a good deal paler than this bird underneath and on flanks.
But as you both say very very diff. and I'd be less than sure either way!!! If it called tho....! Lewington depicts them well in Rare Birds.. (1991) and Shorebirds aint bad either.

 

L

logos

Well-known member

• Oct 5, 2003

• #6

Tim,

Gotta admit I'm mainly going on bill length as a guide, if it's a LBD then it's not at the longest-billed end of the spectrum.

I'm not aware that anyone has published anything particularly useful for dealing with winter adults and much of what has been indicated always seem to be contradicted elsewhere, for example compare flank and vent patterns for these two in Sibley, Rare Birds and Shorebirds. That said this bird does seem to have a dark and cloudy breast like most LBD and unlike at least some SBD but I wonder how much of that is due to dull photographic conditions...or, for that matter, my monitor...


In the field I'd probably have flushed it by now!

Spud

 

herring99

Well-known member

• Oct 5, 2003

• #7

Well, if you experts are stumped i stand no chance. I would have plumped for short bill for no other reason than it vaguely reminded me of the one i saw before, but i couldn't tell you why. Looks like it goes into the ever growing "unk" folder i'm gathering!

Cheers

Herring

 

Charles Harper

Régisseur

• Oct 5, 2003

• #8

Yes, bill length is a notoriously poor diagnostic character, yet seems to be the clearest i.d. here, in spite of any foreshortening, by probability. Breast I guess is vaguely speckled though not 'blotched', too. So, still more likely a SB. I just love to get my sightings off that 'spp.' list.