I got more feedback and now I am convinced that the bird is a short-billed dowit
cher.

Pete Fahey sent me a link to a rather comprehensive article about this topic. Th
anks, Pete.
http://www.surfbirds.com/ID%20Articles/dowitchers1005/dowitchers.html

Toshi


------
Regarding the dowitcher at Montlake Fill,
https://picasaweb.google.com/109559271131835559989/2014_05_03
I got several comments.

Thank you very much, everyone who gave me feedback.

So far,
3 say Short-billed,
2 say Long-billed, and
1 says Wilson?fs snipe.

People who think the bird is short-billed say,
?gthe spots instead of bars on neck and shoulder area indicate Short-billed Dowi
tcher?h
?gI saw the same bird on Saturday morning. I played the recordings of both long
and short-billed. The bird answered the short-billed and flew towards me. Theref
ore, it is a short-billed.?h

People who think the bird is long-billed say,
?gIt appears to be a Long-billed Dowitcher.; Based on Plumage Long-billed Dowitc
her's in breeding Plumage have white specks on their backs around the feathers,
they also have stripes on the rump.?h
?gWe have seasonal Short billed Dowitchers here in FL. The Short billed Dow. fee
ds like a sewing machine...straight up and down. This is a Long billed. Also Sho
rt billed are most often found in salt water and Long billed in fresh or brackis
h water...of course there are always exceptions :-).?h

--
I myself cannot tell, since this was the first time for me to see a dowitcher.
It seems difficult to tell short-billed or long-billed.

Toshi
--------------

>Did you get any feedback on this? I'd be curious to know what the consensus
is.

>My first thought since it was the fill was a snipe, but I agree that it
looks like a short-billed dowitcher. I am terrible with shorebirds,
however, so my agreement shouldn't count for too much.


On Sun, May 4, 2014 at 11:10 PM, <ttanigu-tky at umin.ac.jp> wrote:

> I saw a bird I have never seen at the Main Pond at Montlake Fill on May 3,
> Satur
> day.
>
> Here are some pictures of the bird.
> https://picasaweb.google.com/109559271131835559989/2014_05_03
>
> I think it is a dowitcher, but I am not sure if it is a short-billed or
> long-bil
> led dowitcher.
>
> Will you help me ID this bird?
> Thanks!
>
> Toshi Taniguchi
> Seattle, WA
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> Tweeters at u.washington.edu
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>