Hello Gene and tweeters,

I must agree with Gene with all the different variation of plumages the Marblet Godwits where in.Some of this birds seem verry pale beige instead the rich browny colour.
This particular Bar-tailed Godwit is not easy to identify for the birder what never saw one of this birds.Most of the time he is easy to pick out among hundreds of Marblet's ,when there in full winter plumage.This bird here is some how in between plumages and quite dull.On the jetty it takes hours or maybe if he stands behind close to onother bird all tucked in impossible to find.
I always for some reason look for the white supercillium or Eyebrow what usual always stands out from the Marblet,on this bird here it is vaguely showing,also the black speckling on the Scapulars(are realy showng in my photos what i will publish in our WOSNEWS letter.This bird is in breast gray not tawny as some of the Marblet showing slightly lighter on the rump. The black and white barred tail is only seeing when he is standing on the beach or liftting his wings.This bird here is quite bid smaler than all the Marbled around what also will show in my photos.The new owner what fixing the house up on the marina already told me that no one saw this bird on Saturday when i talked to here for a while getting some information about the new business,including us going all the way out on the dock to get closer to the birds.This people are bird friendly.And it would be nice to give them some business to even if it is buying a pop.
I am sorry you all din't see this bird on saturday,i only had one Willet yesterday and this was my fourth time that i saw the Bar-tailed Godwit.

Ruth Sullivan
Tacoma
godwit at worldnet.att.net
----- Original Message -----
From: Eugene Hunn
To: TWEETERS
Sent: Sunday, July 30, 2000 8:30 PM
Subject: godwits at Tokeland


Tweets,

Our Seattle Audubon field trip spent more than an hour at Tokeland surveying the godwit et al. flock that was roosting on the breakwater as the tide began to recede. We estimated over 200 Marbled Godwits, over 100 Whimbrels, 10 Willets, and a number of Short-billed Dowitchers present (a separate group of 35 Long-billed Curlews was at the slough opposite Graveyard Spit a bit later). At ca. 3 PM the birds began to leave the breakwater, a few at a time. Most proceeded to feed in the northwest corner of the marina where we were able to view them in excellent back light at less than 100 feet (counting 170 alone here) in a phalanx of scopes. We could not pick out a Bar-tailed but were struck by the variation among the Marbleds. There appeared to me to be two distinct plumages, represented about equally. The first seemed on average smaller, with a slightly shorter bill, that was distincting orangish-pink on the basal 60+ percent. These also seemed distinctly, though finely barred below and showed dark primary tips on the folded wing. The other type seemed on average larger, longer-billed and with bright, bubble-gum pink on the basal 60+% of the bill, and were clear pinkish-cinnamon buff below, with paler primaries. Reviewing Paulson's shorebird book it seems the first might be male adults in faded alternated plumage, the second female adults in fresh basic plumage. However, that might be rather early for the post-breeding molt and I don't know if there is any reason to expect the males to molt first. Nevertheless, the contrast was striking.

Gene Hunn.