Warbler & Dowitcher ID in Niagara, Ontario (1 Viewer)

[chipster454]

I think I know what the warbler is, but I'd rather hear it from someone else without any influence.
The dowitcher I'm not sure about. I don't know how to tell a Short billed from a Long billed. Please let me know what you think. Thanks.

 

[Butty]

Cape May warbler. I'd rather be influenced - because then I could tailor my comments in a way that would be most useful to you rather than just giving a name.

I don't know how to tell a Short billed from a Long billed.

Join my club. I'm very happy in not being able to separate them.

 

[chipster454]

Cape May warbler. I'd rather be influenced - because then I could tailor my comments in a way that would be most useful to you rather than just giving a name.

Join my club. I'm very happy in not being able to separate them.

Fair enough. Cape May was what I was thinking. That's a lifer for me. I didn't want to say it because I'm prone to seeing what I want to see, and not what's actually there. As for the Dowitcher, my research is saying the difference is in the angle of the eye in relation to the bill. Pretty tough to tell from the pictures I've got. Comparing it to a picture I took of a Dowitcher last year (Picture at the bottom) that I was told was a Long Billed, the eye on this Dowitcher looks like it sits a little higher. (A bigger angle) That and the fact the Short billed is more common, I'm leaning towards Short Billed?...

 

[chipster454]

This is maybe the only other picture that might help in IDing the Dowitcher.

 

[Jeff Hopkins]

Agree with Cape May. Hard to say on the dow, but my gut feel says short-billed. Bird looks fairly slim, bill looks thick at the base, but the pics aren't clear enough for me to make out plumage details.

 

[Butty]

I'm leaning towards Short Billed?

Why lean? If you can't identify it, you can't identify it. We can not-identify it together Leaving birds unidentified is perfectly honourable, and covers one heck of a lot of things that I see.

 

[chipster454]

Why lean? If you can't identify it, you can't identify it. We can not-identify it together Leaving birds unidentified is perfectly honourable, and covers one heck of a lot of things that I see.

It's a tough one for me to leave unidentified. It's only the second Dowitcher I've seen, and the first one of the year. It didn't fly away, so I could have continued taking pictures, but I thought I had enough to ID. If it can't be ID'd, it can't be ID'd. But there are a bunch of great bird identifiers on this message board. Might as well take advantage of that while I continue getting better at it.

 

[rkj]

The broad rusty edges to the black tertials, with a little of the markings going into the middle of the feathers, make these juvenile Short-billed Dowitchers.

 

[chipster454]

The broad rusty edges to the black tertials, with a little of the markings going into the middle of the feathers, make these juvenile Short-billed Dowitchers.

Thanks RKJ. You seem pretty confident. I'll count it as a Short-billed on my checklist

 

[Rotherbirder]

Agree with Short-billed Dowitcher on tertial pattern.

RB