The Bar-tailed Godwit I reported at Westport on Friday had whitish under
wings and a barred tail which were visible when it stretched while we were
viewing it though the scopes with Eric and Tammy Bjorkman. The supercillium
extended beyond the eye. We were not able to locate this bird again but did
see a couple of light colored Marbled Godwits on Saturday afternoon.

Sherry Hagen
Vancouver, WA
littlebirder at gmail.com
On Aug 26, 2012 2:06 PM, "Brad Waggoner" <wagtail at sounddsl.com> wrote:

> Hi all,
>
> Once again, I feel the need to pipe-in and provide some background on a
> species expected arrival time in Washington. Every fall we are fortunate to
> have a few Sharp-tailed Sandpipers, a Siberian species, show in our state.
> Most reports come from coastal spots or shorebirds spots in Skagit and
> Snohomish counties. But, these few juvenile Sharp-tails that make it to our
> area should not really be expected until early September (see Bar Graph in
> A Birder's Guide To Washington). There may be one documented late August
> report for Washington, but I would need Ryan Merrill to verify even this
> record. So it would be great if one feels he/she has a Sharp-tail in August
> to fully document the bird, if possible.
>
> I think part of the identification challenge and perhaps the reason for
> possible mid-August thoughts of Sharp-tails is the first arrivals of
> juvenile Pectoral Sandpipers. Some of these juv.'s can be quite bright
> including the cap, and when one compares them to the remaining dingy, worn
> adults, it is no wonder a Sharp-tailed Sandpiper is considered.
>
> And on another note, and since I seem to be throwing cold water on reports
> of Sharp-tailed Sandpipers, I might caution birders about the existence of
> Marbled Godwits doing Bar-tailed Godwit imitations at Westport. There are a
> few Marbled Godwits that are basically all white below and do look like
> they have strong supercilliums. Blair Bernson's recalling his experience
> on the incoming Wesport Seabird trip is a fine example. It is great that
> they were able to see this pale Marbled Godwit lift its wings. Be patient
> on these pale godwits. Look for a smaller one with all white undersides,
> but wait and watch for whitish barred tail, white rump, and whitish
> underwing coloration to set it aside from these pale Marbled's.
>
> Cheers and good birding,
> Brad Waggoner
> Bainbridge Island, Washington
> mailto:wagtail at sounddsl.com <wagtail at sounddsl.com>
>
>
>
>
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>
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