Hi All,
I'm on vacation with my family in Chincoteague and last evening out at the
regular location (Swan Cove across from Tom's Cove Visitor Center) I found the
Bar-tailed Godwit and took photos and notes. This morning around 10:30am I
returned to Swan Cove and at the beginning of the straight away along the road
when approaching the Visitor Center/Beach Parking Area (approx. 300 yards from
the Visitor Center), and about 50-100 yards off the road in Swan Cove I found a
flock of about 100-150 Willets with several Marbled Godwits mixed in. I was
watching the group with some other beginning birders when we found the
Bar-tailed in with the Willets and Marbled Godwits. We watched it feeding with
the Willet group for several minutes, and then checked out some nearby Stilt
Sandpipers. When we went back to look for the Bar-tailed it was not in with
the Willet/Marbled Godwit group. A couple of minutes later I relocated the
Bar-tailed farther to the left,
separated from the large Willet/Marbled Godwit group. Next to the Bar-tailed
was another Godwit that I thought looked a little odd to be a Marbled but I
didn't pay much attention to it and focused on studying the Bar-tailed.
A while later my dad pulled up and had me show him the Bar-tailed. He said
"Which one is it? The two Godwits look identical other than for size". I knew
that a Marbled should not look identical to a Bar-tailed. I looked in the
scope and started studying the slightly larger Godwit. It soon became apparent
to me that I may be looking at the Black-tailed Godwit that spent the winter at
Swan Cove last winter. Soon two other Godwits joined the Bar-tailed and poss.
Black-tailed, which were clearly Marbled. My notes I took during my
observation of the Godwits included: "Bar-tailed notes: Dark back, silver sides
with black 'glitter', whitish under tail, pink bill, black tip. Small compared
to Marbled Godwits, shorter legs". (All those notes were taken before I clued
into the possible Black-tailed and I didn't go into too much depth because I
took more extensive notes of the Bar-tailed yesterday). Notes including Bar-
and possible Black-tailed:
"Black-tailed: Slightly larger than Bar-tailed, smaller than Marbled Godwits.
All black wing tips, all black tail, compared to Bar-tailed's barred tail.
Overall similar to Bar-tailed: brown grayish with blackish on back, pink upper
3 quarters of bill, black towards the tip. Distinguished by all black tail,
larger size, etc.".
Here is a link to several photos of the Godwits:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/gabrielmapel/sets/72157635449654989/
I waited quite a long time to see if the Godwits would fly but they never did
so I left to come back here and download the photographs and post. I will
return this afternoon to Swan Cove.
Take a look at the photos and I'd love to hear your opinions. I am a novice on
Shorebirds (they are definitely the class of bird I struggle to identify most)
so I would be thrilled to hear if the experts agree with the identification of
Black-tailed or not. I'm sure we will get it positively identified before long!
Good Birding,
Gabriel Mapel
New Hope, Va (Right now in Chincoteague, Va)
