ML228090391

Age and sex

Adult, Unknown sex - 1

Behaviors

Foraging or eating

Observation details

Dowitcher ID, Long-billed vs Short-billed re bird found 4/26/2020 and staying until 4/27/2020 This bird was found by John Haire on the evening of 4/26/20. The next morning a handful of people found it in the same location. Most of us felt it was Long-billed but some also thought Short-billed so we e-birded it as Long-billed/Short-billed Dowitcher. Everyone posted their photos to eBird and I told everyone that I would research and ask for more opinions. I put photos out on “What’s this bird on Facebook” and got varying responses. Most said Long-billed but a couple of people said Short-billed. I have compiled the information below from my most trusted sources. Alvaro Jarmillo; (National expert, Former tour guide for Field Guides and now has his own birding company and Pelagic Company). This is an absolutely classic and identifiable Long-billed Dowitcher. Unfortunately the guides have not been diligent in simplifying the case for ID in breeding plumage. Striking white tips on scapulars with a lot of black areas, and rusty/brick color rather than golden. Below the bars have rusty bases, black subterminal bar and immediately adjacent a white tip. Black has to touch white on a Long-billed, it can be all over the place in Short-bills and imparts an entirely different look. Jean Iron (Tour Leader Quest Nature Tours) The combination of bold white tips to the scapulars, heavily spotted foreneck, and well-formed bars on the sides of the breast (instead of spots) identify it as a Long-billed Dowitcher. I also e-mailed the link of all of the photos in eBird to Edward Brinkley (Former Editor of American Birds, Author of Field Guide to North American Birds by National Wildlife Federation, Tour leader for Field Guides). He said this is a definite Long-billed Dowitcher. A good number of people said the overall shape of “swallowing a grapefruit” in combination with plumage characteristics was great for Long-billed.

Technical information

Model

Canon PowerShot SX70 HS

Lens

3.8-247mm

ISO

160

Focal length

247 mm

Flash

Flash did not fire

f-stop

f/6.5

Shutter speed

1/400 sec

Dimensions

1817 pixels x 1211 pixels

Original file size

677.84 KB