Dowitchers getting me down - Brigantine, NJ (1 Viewer)

[OntBirder]

Dowitchers getting me down - Brigantine, NJ, USA

Hello everyone,


I've just birded Brigantine and I'm having a bit of trouble with some dowitchers. The feeding ones were more or less straight forward to I.D (Long-Billed's look like they've swallowed bowling balls) but the sleepers are driving me nuts.

Of these two, the lower makes me think Short-Billed with the cleaner orange belly and the flat back, but the one above makes me think Long-billed because of the overall round shape and the slightly barred sides. Bah.

Thanks in Advance for your help.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/levfrid/2795968769/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/levfrid/2796815916/

The yellowlegs in the bottom photo I think are Greaters. There's a Willet in the far left for size comparison/

 

[OntBirder]

Come on Guys, not even guesses?

I want to be able to sleep at night!

 

[danehower]

Come on Guys, not even guesses?

I want to be able to sleep at night!

LOL ! - Have a nice glass of whiskey, maybe some milk and cookies. B Sorry, I am horrible at shore birds - but maybe this gives your thread a bump.

 

[birderbf]

Your guess is pretty good. The upper bird is pretty nasty though. Some might be able to ID by flank barring but I can't. Breast pattern would be nice to know... did you see it at all?

BTW the 'legs are Greaters.

 

[OntBirder]

Breast pattern if I remember correctly was without streaks (making it a long-billed), but the bird could have been quite worn, check out this photo of the same bird:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/levfrid/2797907661/

Surely, sifting through something like this:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/levfrid/2796844614/

Can make for some nice headaches. The eye-ring courtesy of the scope makes a good field mark for shorebirders!

P.S birderbf, I see you like them Western Spindalis. I thought you might find some of my photos of the Green-Backed subspecies from Cuba of interest. They were quite thick.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/levfrid/2397214418/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/levfrid/2397284224/