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Spoon-billed Sandpipers at Mai Po Marshes (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter Neil
- Start date
Steve Lister
Senior Birder, ex County Recorder, Garden Moths.
Neil said:
I can't see any at all, though one or two birds are not showing their bills. Where is the bird you mean?
steve
Strandman
Well-known member
Steve Lister said:
1st left from the two stints in centre frame, one of which is neck preening and one of which is wing-stretching? If that's the bird in question, then it does show some promise (large, whiteish head, broad bill at base).
Up and to the left of that bird is a right-facing stint with an apparent broad billtip- bit I think that is an optical illusion and in fact is a blob on the mud behind it!
Rasmus Boegh
BF member
![spoonbill sandpiper[1].jpg](/data/attachments/26/26125-17016c137bf5c6bb9eefc14de60f232f.jpg)
Rasmus Boegh
BF member
white-back said:
I think you could be right. The bill does look a bit strange for a Spoonbilled. Likewise, the greyish pattern on the crown doesn't seem streaked enough for a winter Sppobilled, but I could be wrong. Only another photo could confirm if it indeed was the real thing. Of course - if it was confirmed in the field that would be good too (rather than just found when looking at the photo afterwards).
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edenwatcher
Well-known member
I think there are at least 2. The bird Rasmus arrowed, and also the one down and to the right of it.
Rob
Rob
Strandman
Well-known member
That's my number one candidate. Then there's the neck preening bird just ot the right of it, which also shows a broad based bill, but apparent bill base breadth may simply be due to movement blur as it is preening and cast shadow. So based on this picture alone, I am still only seeing one good candidate. It would be good to see another picture taken about 1 second later...JANJ said:
Surely the bird with the invisible bill is one
compare with http://www.birdsoman.com/SpoonbilledSandpiper53927.jpg
for the 'split supercilium'
after old fashioned (Antonioni's blow-up like) magnifying I found Rasmus' bird with a visible bill
so that makes probably two I would say
cheers,
HouseCrow
compare with http://www.birdsoman.com/SpoonbilledSandpiper53927.jpg
for the 'split supercilium'
after old fashioned (Antonioni's blow-up like) magnifying I found Rasmus' bird with a visible bill
so that makes probably two I would say
cheers,
HouseCrow
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JANJ
Well-known member
I dont think it is a spoon-billed. If you look carefully at the bill tip it doesn´t end in a point, more like a trunk´s end. It isn´t even the same colour.
It should be more like this:
http://homepage2.nifty.com/stints/calidris/Spoonbill-jI1.jpg
JanJ
It should be more like this:
http://homepage2.nifty.com/stints/calidris/Spoonbill-jI1.jpg
JanJ
cuckooroller
Registered User
I agree that the best candidate is the sitting bill-hiding bird. Though the white on the head including the supercilia is variable it looks about right. Even though the bill tip is hidden the upper contour of the culmen can be seen and it is right - a sort of ovoid. The very small black gape line is also discernable.
Spoon-billed Sandpiper id's
I have marked the birds I was not sure about. The one in the middle was the original bird that I thought was a possiblity , even though you can't see the end of it's bill. If I enlarge the bird on the left the bill tip seems 'spoonbilled' like. The bird on the right with a little breeding color I don't know. Neil.
I have marked the birds I was not sure about. The one in the middle was the original bird that I thought was a possiblity , even though you can't see the end of it's bill. If I enlarge the bird on the left the bill tip seems 'spoonbilled' like. The bird on the right with a little breeding color I don't know. Neil.
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Clarification on Spoon-billed Sandpiper id's
Thanks for all your good comments. The adavantage of the Kyocera SL400R is that it takes a lot of photos very fast (3 frames per second ) and I usually hold the shutter down to make sure I get various poses. I went back to the Rubbish Bin and got out the photos before and after the one posted. The original Spoonbilled Sandpiper didn't show it's bill most of the time when I watched it for 15 mins before disturbed by low flying Black Kite. The attached photo shows it settled down again. The thickness of the bill still indicates Spoon-billed to me but this is the first time for me seeing one. The the rear left bird's bill in the original photo must have been an optical illusion with some mark in the background and the right bird is ruled out to. Is it a Red-Necked Stint? Unfortunately the smaller waders at Mai Po are usually between 70-120 meters away from the hide so I think I will get a lot of photos like this in the coming years. Thanks again for all you good comments.Neil.
Thanks for all your good comments. The adavantage of the Kyocera SL400R is that it takes a lot of photos very fast (3 frames per second ) and I usually hold the shutter down to make sure I get various poses. I went back to the Rubbish Bin and got out the photos before and after the one posted. The original Spoonbilled Sandpiper didn't show it's bill most of the time when I watched it for 15 mins before disturbed by low flying Black Kite. The attached photo shows it settled down again. The thickness of the bill still indicates Spoon-billed to me but this is the first time for me seeing one. The the rear left bird's bill in the original photo must have been an optical illusion with some mark in the background and the right bird is ruled out to. Is it a Red-Necked Stint? Unfortunately the smaller waders at Mai Po are usually between 70-120 meters away from the hide so I think I will get a lot of photos like this in the coming years. Thanks again for all you good comments.Neil.
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cuckooroller
Registered User
Neil,
Well, for sure you got one. First photo from left. The others aren't, though you see the same sitting spoonbilled in secondo piano in the far right photo.
Well, for sure you got one. First photo from left. The others aren't, though you see the same sitting spoonbilled in secondo piano in the far right photo.
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