Tweeters,

I arrived at Tulalip Bay this afternoon just as Rick Taylor & Co. were
headed out, and they kindly pointed out the birds. After spending some
time with the godwits though I concluded that all 3 were Marbled Godwits.

One of the birds is a bit smaller and duller than the others and with a bit
shorter bill. However, in flight dorsally all three godwits sported a
bright, buffy-orange panel on the inner primaries/outer secondaries, and
had cinnamon-buffy tones to the wings overall. These colors were visible
despite the distance and a very gray afternoon at Tulalip. Bar-tailed
never shows a buffy panel on the wing like this. This smaller, duller
individual is best chalked up to individual variation within Marbled Godwit.

Good birding,
Dave Slager
Seattle, WA
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