ML618086453

Age

Not specified

Sex

Not specified

Observation details

This bird was with a big flock of GRYE and LEYE. It was difficult to find a spot on the roadside where one could observe the flock. Besides the annoyance of traffic on the road and the narrowness of the shoulder, a growth of deciduous saplings blocked the view from most safe vantages. Eventually the bird started moving around from grassy "islet" to islet, giving better views. It was obviously a dowitcher, a vaguely snipe-like shorebird; when not preening or resting, it foraged with characteristic "sewing-machine" style. Eventually I was able to scrutinize the sides of the breast, which were barred, not spotted. The rich reddish coloration below and the "loral angle" (or facial gizz) both indicated LBDO. I have much experience in separating LBDO from the caurinus subspecies of SBDO, although I have very little experience with the other two races of the SBDO. I was confident that this bird was a LBDO. No vocalizations were heard from the dowitcher. The bill was quite long, but this was not one of the extremely long-billed females that make ID easier.

Technical information

Model

Canon PowerShot SX50 HS

ISO

160

Focal length

215 mm

Flash

Flash did not fire

f-stop

f/6.5

Shutter speed

1/160 sec

Dimensions

960 pixels x 1200 pixels

Original file size

372.78 KB