Subject: [Tweeters] Forbes Road Everett, Stillwater, Montlake Fill 7/19/09
Date: Jul 20 09:17:06 2009
From: Eugene and Nancy Hunn - enhunn323 at comcast.net


Tweets,



A cautionary note on the mid-summer adult dowitcher identification
challenge. Connie reported what were presumably the same three dowitchers
Doug Parrott photographed yesterday at the Montlake Fill. She identified
them as Short-billed while Doug called them Long-billed. Fortunately, we
have two excellent photos by Doug. In my opinion they are Long-billed
Dowitchers. The one facing right shows a very long bill but beyond that
shows heavy barring on the sides of the breast rather than spotting. The
bird also seems heavy bodied. For what it's worth, these features suggest
Long-billed as opposed to Short-billed. Neither observer mentioned
vocalizations, which ought to be definitive but which, in my experience, are
frequently frustratingly ambiguous or absent.



I have been struggling with these late summer, somewhat worn adult
dowitchers in King County for some time now and believe they are often
virtually impossible to identify with perfect certainty. I believe that
dowitchers on fresh water in King County are most likely Long-billed, and
since we have so little salt water or brackish habitat in King County
Short-billed Dowitchers are most likely very rare in the county. I did see
(and it was photographed by Steve Caldwell) a juvenile Short-billed two
years ago at KVI beach on Vashon Island, one of the few decent salt-water
habitats in the county, but suspect that many reports of Short-billed are
more likely Long-billed.



Gene Hunn

18476 47th Pl NE

Lake Forest Park, WA

enhunn323 at comcast.net



From: tweeters-bounces at mailman2.u.washington.edu
[mailto:tweeters-bounces at mailman2.u.washington.edu] On Behalf Of Doug
Parrott
Sent: Sunday, July 19, 2009 10:31 PM
To: tweeters
Subject: [Tweeters] Forbes Road Everett, Stillwater, Montlake Fill 7/19/09



Hi Tweets,

It was a full day. I was up in Everett at Forbes Road at 7:00 am this
morning. The highlights for this location were as follows:

American Bittern flying over the dike

Long & Short billed Dowitchers approx 30

Spotted Sandpipers

Western or Least Sandpipers too far to ID

Bullocks Oriole

Swainsons Thrush

Eastern Kingbird fledglings (two from nest that I have been monitoring for
the last two months.)



At around 11:30 I was at Stillwater attempting to photograph the elusive
American Redstart. I was successful in catching the female. I did see the
male but it was too far away and too quick for me. I'll be back!! This is
the 5th time I've been out there and finally got a photo. I have however
seen them on 3 other occasions. There was also a very curious Bewicks Wren
who got to within 10 ft of me, gave me the Bronx Cheer, then took off. I
also captured a BC Chickadee trying to get a sun tan. That's a first for me.



Around 2:00 pm I was home, at the Montlake Fill. To my delight there were
three Long-billed Dowitchers and Least Sandpipers at the north end of the
Central Pond. In addition at the Southwest Pond the fledged Pied-billed
Grebes were putting on a trying to eat show. The parents caught a pretty big
fish and the kids were attempting to gobble it up. It was pretty humorous
watching them. Photos at:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/birdhouse_wa/sets/72157621718445234/