Seward, Alaska
I found a single juvenile
LONG-BILLED DOWITCHER today that graciously posed for my camera before resuming
feeding. It may be one of the four that were seen on September 24, (see blog photos for that date.)
Thanks to Sadie Ulman for
describing the distinguishing characteristics of a Long-billed Dowitcher. The
lack of any barring on the tertials is a great ID mark.
Here are Sadie's pointers:
Time of year:
Typical migration
chronology is failed breeders, followed by adults, followed by juveniles.
LBDO typically migrate later than SBDO.
Juvenile vs adult:
The overall coloration and
fresh (non-worn) condition points to Juvenile over Adult.
Tertials:
LBDO have dark gray
tertials, with a buffy fringe and no internal markings on the feathers. SBDO
will have dark gray with an orange/buff fringe and strong internal markings of
buff/orange. The presence/absence of internal tertial markings is one of the
best indicators between the species.
Greater coverts:
LBDO usually uniformly gray
vs a strong pattern in SBDO
Crown:
LBDO gray
SBDO dark brown
This is sometimes hard to
decipher.
Vocalization
LBDO typically vocalizes
while feeding
SBDO is typically silent
Fall shorebird ID is tricky,
but once some key identification marks are known, it becomes a little easier. I
hope this helps!
Happy Birding!
Carol Griswold
Seward Sporadic Bird Report
Reporter
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