Friday morning, 20 July, when I arrived at Mann Lake ( just East of Lewiston, ID), I immediaterely noticed two large shorebirds at a distance of about 100 m. The sunlight from the East backlit the birds so that the only detail I could see was a very apparent difference in size.

As I moved to get closer and a into a better lighting angle I was able to take this photo.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/birddog/7611589196/in/photostream/

Clearly the birds were Godwits. The size difference remained apparent, as did some differences in appearence.
The birds moved up the mud beach.
I was able to get into a position with the sun at my back within 25 m of the birds and observe them for about 45 minutes.
Seeing the size difference, the distinctly light supercillium, diiferent leg coloration and the difference in throat and breast plumage. I was starting to think that the smaller Godwit was not a Marbled Godwit.
Marbled Godwits, while not common here, are seen on an annual basis. There are three accepted Idaho records for Hudsonian Godwit and NO records of Bar-tailed Godwit .
I began to think, "what are the chances of a Bar-tailed Godwit 450 miles form the coast ?"

This photo did little to sort this out.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/birddog/7610612370/in/photostream/

I knew I was going to need help sorting out this ID, so after arriving back home and processing my many photos, I contacted several knowledgeable NW birders.

Keith E. Carlson
Lewiston, Idaho