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Index of Subjects --bcaec55552e07447d704a7e1fa28 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 Hi Liz and others, On Tue, Jul 12, 2011 at 1:17 PM, Elizabeth Doull <edoull@ns.sympatico.ca>wrote: pst.. I have seen a few dowitchers with really very long bills so could they have been long billed dowitchers after all? They could have been, BUT ............ ..... Unfortunately bill length is the worst possible field mark for Dowitchers - it's a bit like the red belly on a Red-bellied woodpecker or the ring on the bill of Ring-necked ducks. At this time of year most of the dowitchers seen in NS are adults starting to molt from breeding to winter plumage, or still in breeding plumage - so the field marks between the 2 species should be fairly easy to distinguish, given good looks, on plumage alone - check Sibley or any other good field guides for the details on how to do this. Just to "put a spanner in the works" though, the interior/ prairie race of Short-billed, which can visit here about now, look very like long-billeds! In a month or more, most of the dowitchers coming through will be juveniles, and there it's the markings on the scapular and tertial feathers that distinguish the 2 species (Short-billed have them, and look more patterned, Long-billed don't, and look plainer). In winter plumage the 2 look almost identical, although the Long-billed has more of a pectoral-like cutoff between the darker breast and the paler belly. A field mark that is useful to most (but unfortunately not Liz) is the call. Also, Long-billed are supposed to have a more hunched, bull-necked appearance. Actually, practically all the records of Long-billed in NS have been lone birds in brackish shallow water in Nov. or Dec., and 99% of all the dowitchers seen on the coast and at other times of the year are Short-billed. Richard -- ################# Richard Stern, 317 Middle Dyke Rd. Port Williams, NS, Canada B0P 1T0 sternrichard@gmail.com ################### --bcaec55552e07447d704a7e1fa28 Content-Type: text/html; charset=ISO-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Hi Liz and others,<br><br>On Tue, Jul 12, 2011 at 1:17 PM, Elizabeth Doull = <span dir=3D"ltr"><<a href=3D"mailto:edoull@ns.sympatico.ca">edoull@ns.s= ympatico.ca</a>></span> wrote:<br><br> pst.. I have seen a few dowitchers with really very long bills so could the= y<br> have been long billed dowitchers after all?<br> <br><br>They could have been, BUT ............<br><br>..... Unfortunately b= ill length is the worst possible field mark for Dowitchers - it's a bit= like the red belly on a Red-bellied woodpecker or the ring on the bill of = Ring-necked ducks. At this time of year most of the dowitchers seen in NS a= re adults starting to molt from breeding to winter plumage, or still in bre= eding plumage - so the field marks between the 2 species should be fairly e= asy to distinguish, given good looks, on plumage alone - check Sibley or an= y other good field guides for the details on how to do this. Just to "= put a spanner in the works" though, the interior/ prairie race of Shor= t-billed, which can visit here about now, look very like long-billeds! In a= month or more, most of the dowitchers coming through will be juveniles, an= d there it's the markings on the scapular and tertial feathers that dis= tinguish the 2 species (Short-billed have them, and look more patterned, Lo= ng-billed don't, and look plainer). In winter plumage the 2 look almost= identical, although the Long-billed has more of a pectoral-like cutoff bet= ween the darker breast and the paler belly.<br> <br>=A0A field mark that is useful to most (but unfortunately not Liz) is t= he call. <br><br>Also, Long-billed are supposed to have a more hunched, bul= l-necked appearance. <br><br>Actually, practically all the records of Long-= billed in NS have been lone birds in brackish shallow water in Nov. or Dec.= , and 99% of all the dowitchers seen on the coast and at other times of the= year are Short-billed.<br> <br>Richard<br><br clear=3D"all"><br>-- <br>#################<br>Richard St= ern, <br>317 Middle Dyke Rd.<br>Port Williams, NS, Canada<br>B0P 1T0<br><br= >sternrichard@gmail.com<br>##= #################<br> --bcaec55552e07447d704a7e1fa28--
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