ML618141749

Age

Not specified

Sex

Not specified

Observation details

Provincial lifer, first photo record of Bar-tailed godwit on eBird for Anhui. First noticed foraging with greenshanks, gulls, and herons, and given the distance from the viewing platform, only a few photos were taken before me leaving the hotspot. Great study material for on-the-ground godwit ID: apparently, one individual displays breeding plumage and one nonbreeding plumage. The upcurved bill is a major giveaway indicating barwits, but a closer inspection on the plumages yields more evidence towards a definite barwit ID. The godwit with non-breeding plumage (left one in the photo) has a longer bill than the other one, which probably is because of individual differences. However, the white supercilium going behind the eyes, combined with the more prominent 'scaled' back instead of a mushy gray color pattern for blackwits, should be a good clue. The godwit with breeding plumage shows a distinct feature for barwits: the red color goes all the way to the belly, while blackwits would have black stripes on the belly without any red on it. In addition, the more prominent white edges on the back feathers should also be a feature to tell it from blackwits. Gist of the story: if you're not sure, just take some photos with a telephoto lens and ID them at home. Maybe you'll get a lifer someday!

Technical information

Model

Canon EOS 7D Mark II

Lens

EF100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM

ISO

100

Focal length

400 mm

Flash

Flash did not fire

f-stop

f/6.3

Shutter speed

1/640 sec

Dimensions

720 pixels x 480 pixels

Original file size

139.36 KB