ML182552241

Age

Not specified

Sex

Not specified

Observation details

Stake out. See photos. Found on Monday, 14 October by Dan Sidle for a first county record. Pale godwit, smaller than adjacent Marbled Godwits but seemingly larger than nearby Bar-tailed Godwit. Face pattern similar to Bar-tailed but with gray cap, strong pale supercilium, dark transocular line and pale face. Neck and breast smooth grayish wash. Otherwise underparts white. Upperparts mostly smooth gray but scapulars dark centered and fringed narrowly with buff suggesting retained juvenile plumage. Wing coverts gray centered with dark gray shaft streaks. No obvious pale fringing or markings on gray tertials indicating acquisition of formative plumage. Primary projection visible, longer than on Marbled Godwit, but similar to Bar-tailed. Tail very distinct with broad black tip on the distal half and a contrasting white base. Very narrow pale tip hard to see. In flight, showed narrow white wing stripe formed by tips of greater coverts. Underwing coverts black clearly visible in flight. Underwing pattern eliminates similar Black-tailed Godwit which is unrecorded in California at this time.

Technical information

Model

Canon PowerShot SX60 HS

ISO

125

Focal length

247 mm

Flash

Flash did not fire, auto

f-stop

f/6.5

Shutter speed

1/800 sec

Dimensions

800 pixels x 600 pixels

Original file size

151.83 KB