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What is this wader? (1 Viewer)

Reader

Well-known member
I was visiting relatives in Essex this week and as Tuesday was such a lovely day I chose to call into Shoeburyness, near to the coastguard station.

There were quite a few birds out the including at least 200 Godwits but I noticed this bird feeding on its own, about 30 feet from the Godwits. I can't really see any difference from a blackwit other than the fact that it has a down curved beak. I have never seen any Godwits with down turn beaks before so it threw me. I watched it for about 15 minutes until all the birds were spooked and they took off. They all landed again but I couldn't relocate this bird. At no time, whilst I watched it, did it feed anywhere near the Godwits, something else I thought worthy of mentioning.
 

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Funny looking thing. I think it must just be a Barwit with a deformed bill. Did it tend to feed in a different way to the others, as well as feeding on its own?
 
Me too for Barwit with a deformed bill. I wonder if it had the sense to observe Curlews and Whimbrels to learn best how to use it?

Who knows, it may be more successful than the other Barwits, pass on its genes, and in half a million years, all Barwits might look like this?!? (unlikely, it's true)

Michael
 
marek_walford said:
How odd!!! Looks like a Bar-tailed Godwit on plumage. When the birds flew did you notice white wing bars?

I must admit that I didn't get the chance to look at it in flight as I had my camera trained on it as they all took off. By the time I had looked up it had joined the others and i couldn't pick the bird out. I don't even know if it joined the others or if it flew off on its own. I suspect possibly the latter as I couldn't relocate it, even after a good search.

BTW its feeding pattern seemed the same as the others.

The problem with it being a Barwit is definitely the bill. With a barwit the bill should normally be more upturned than the Blackwit.

I have attached 4 more photos, one of which isn't that good, but they might give an indication of feeding style. There is even one that I managed to capture the bird pulling a worm from the mud.
 

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I agree with everyone else that it appears to be a Bar-tailed Godwit with an unusual bill. For two consecutive winters a few seasons ago there was a Curlew present at WWT Slimbridge with a bill that was only about 2 inches long. Not sure if both mandibles had snapped off at the same point or whether it was genetic but it seemed to feed OK and the fact that it reappeared the following year said something about survival.
 
I fprgot to reiterate the fact that it never fed, or even went nearer than 30 or so feet from the other Godwits.
 
Reader said:
I forgot to reiterate the fact that it never fed, or even went nearer than 30 or so feet from the other Godwits.
Maybe because it was being ostracised by the other birds - that can happen with obviously deformed individuals

Michael
 
Michael,
Not only that but some birds (not deformed) seem to be ostracised if they are with flock of similar but different species. For example, it is noticable that when looking for a single Bean Goose in a flock of Pinkfeet or a Lesser Whitefront in with a flock of Whitefronts, it is often the case that the lone species bird is near to the edge of the flock so that observers will give directions such as the left most bird or the bird third from the right. This certainly happens with wildfowl and I have also noticed this with waders. It doesn't always happen but it seems to be more often than not.
 
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