ML615230925

Age

Not specified

Sex

Not specified

Observation details

After lunch, we decided to see whether we could relocate the bird one more time. We returned to Violet Andrews Park, where we’d seen it in the morning (see CHECKLIST S160825837). The tide had come in, leaving only a handful of exposed sandbars, and the only birds visible from the grassy area by the parking lot were a few gulls, and a single pair of Godwits to the west, just short of the piers. We walked and waded down to that point, and sure enough there was 1 Marbled Godwit and 1 Bar-tailed Godwit, here: (27.8677655, -97.3221456). We observed and photographed the bird for quite a while, and then a passing helicopter flushed them. Amazingly, the Bar-tailed Godwit flew right past me, allowing me to get excellent photos of it in flight.   Compared to the nearby Marbled Godwit, the Bar-tailed was noticeably grayer dorsally (as opposed to buffy), and aside from a gray upper-breast, it was white ventrally (again, not buffy). Also, the blackish markings on the scapulars and tertials were clearly oriented ALONG the shaft of each feather, giving the bird a “striped” look (instead of being oriented ACROSS the feather axis and presenting a more “checkered” look). In flight, the Bar-tailed showed a black-and-white-barred tail, rump, and lower back. Also, its underwing surfaces were heavily checkered (unlike the unmarked cinnamon-buffy underwing of Marbled). These in-flight field marks suggest the "Siberian group" (likely baueri). Many excellent photos were obtained.

Technical information

Model

NIKON Z 9

ISO

250

Focal length

840 mm

Flash

Flash did not fire

f-stop

f/5.6

Shutter speed

1/1600 sec

Dimensions

1800 pixels x 1200 pixels

Original file size

828.07 KB