Black-tailed Godwit (was - I.D. please)

littlebug wrote: »

Godwit maybe?

It does look quite like a black tailed godwit alright.

Here's a pic that gives an idea what size Godwits are. This one was caught in a cannon net among a flock of Brent Geese. It was colour ringed and released and then spotted in the exact same location the next day. Being netted and manhandled obviously didn't bother it at all.

how about a tall Black-tailed Godwit

littlebug wrote: »

confusing me now too ... that black tailed Godwit in H-C's photo looks much smaller than I remember them to be o The rspb describes them as "large wading birds". Could a male/ female difference account for H-C's small looking vs Rainbows large looking bird?

Females can be quite a bit bigger than males. But we also get the wrong impression of size from looking through bins/scopes. This is compounded if the bird is among smaller birds, say a Godwit among Dunlin or Golden Plover. Often there is nothing to provide scale. I am still frequently surprized at how small many birds really are in the hand. Here's a few examples:

Oyster Catchers are large waders, but not really that big:


Brent Geese are no bigger than Mallard:


And Merlins are tiny!


Another cause of confusion is that we see birds flying with outspread wings making them appear much bigger than they really are.

littlebug wrote: »

I think it's just the size of the photo that makes it look big Kess

Your comment came after I had already changed it. :p:p:p:pac:



Edit: And I was too quick with this also. :P

I think you have to remember that the appearance of a bird can change quite dramatically depending on its stance. The actual body of a bird is not very substantial, the vast majority of the "bulk" you see on a bird is its feathers. For example a fluffed-up Robin will look a lot bigger than one which has spotted a predator and is preparing (smoothing feathers to the body for best aerodynamic shape).

Regarding the ID, the first thing to look at is the bill shape (long and thin), which rules out about 90% of Ireland's birds - leaving only waders and herons. Can rule out the two resident heron species Little Egret (bill not grey) and Grey heron (bill not yellow), leaving only the waders. Of the Irish wading birds, you can immediately rule out Oystercatcher (bill not bright red), Greenshank (not grey) and Snipe (not yellow). This leaves only the two Godwit species - Bar and Black-tailed. As the tail isn't visible in this photo, have to rely on other clues to separate the two species. Habitat is a good one, as Bar-tailed Godwit is quite rare away from coastal estuaries, so Black-tailed looks the more likely in this case and this is confirmed by the plain brown back. Bar-tailed Godwit has a greyish back with dark centres to the feathers on the back.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=25N-4zrk390
Slide forward to 30 sec

LostCovey wrote: »

This is a Bar-tailed Godwit, much smaller than a Black-tailed Godwit.

LC

Yes, I should have mentioned that (slap on wrist). I don't have a pic of a Black Tailed in the hand, never seen one caught. I was just trying to emphasize how birds can actually be a lot smaller than we think. Black Tailed can be almost twice as heavy as Bar Tailed although wingspan and bill to tail measurements are very close. Black Tailed also has longer legs, which could add to the OP's impression of a large bird.