Oh My, Godwits!

For a year now, I have been patiently waiting to see another Marbled Godwit like I did last fall. Because the lighting conditions were so poor last year (you have to face into the sun almost any time of day as it seems to face south and therefore the winter sun) that my pictures were only good enough to identify the bird.  I finally saw them again last Friday!!  The biggest treat is that there was a flock rather than just one straggler!!  They were far enough out that I couldn't recognize them  until I got back home and put the pictures up on the computer.  I had been watching all the Oystercatchers and thought it was a group of those from a distance but since I had never seen Oystercathers group like that, took lots of pictures!!  Look at those bills!!

Here they are joined by a wandering Oystercatcher (you can see how shallow the water is) and I believe a Willet.

Just one more closeup shot of a Marbled Godwit!  Who knows when I will see one again.

Probably the best Oystercatcher picture from down here.  As I said, you always have to face into the sun and they stay far far away!

This is a Dunlin which is another small shorebird but distinguished by his long bill and the brown shading on the front of his chest.  These past few days are the first time I have seen them down here and there has been a small flock.

A group of the Dunlins feeding.  You can see the underside a little better here.

There has also been a small flock of Semi-palmated Plovers feeding with the Dunlins.  They are also a small shorebird who blends in very effectively with his surroundings (as do the Dunlins).  I think I have seen all of these birds before but just didn't notice them (thinking they were Sanderlings which are so common down here)

A front shot of the Semi-palmated Plover.  All of the distance shots have been done with my little Canon point and shoot which has the 35X optical zoom.  I used the optical and digital zooms to get these shots.  These birds are nowhere near me, barely identifiable as birds without the computer!