At the end of the day

  

A quick shot of Marbled Godwits in end-of-the-day light in Bodega Harbor on 3 October 2025.  [You can click on the image for a larger version.]

For scale

  

A quick shot from Westshore Road along the Bodega Harbor shoreline today (18 May 2022).  It's always helpful to have examples of different species side-by-side to appreciate their different sizes.

Four species of shorebirds — Dunlin (lower left), Western Sandpiper (smallest, low center), Red Knots (four at lower right), and Marbled Godwits (in back).

High tide roost

  

Marbled Godwits (Limosa fedoa) roosting at high tide along the Bodega Harbor shoreline on 17 March 2022

Bar-tailed beauty

  

Larry reported a Bar-tailed Godwit (Limosa lapponica) at Limantour Beach yesterday and I couldn't help going down to look for it this morning (19 October 2020).  I encountered it in a flock of Marbled Godwits (Limosa fedoa).  They were all busy feeding on Mole Crabs (Emerita analoga).

 

Since it's been a while since I've seen a Bar-tailed Godwit, here's a selection of photos.

 

 

 

The Bar-tailed Godwit is a little smaller than a Marbled Godwit.  Note that it's grayer above and whiter below compared to the rusty tones of the Marbled Godwits.  And note the difference in the facial markings — the Bar-tailed has a much more pronounced pale supercilium (eyebrow) and a dark eye stripe that extends behind the eye.

Here are a few photos with the Bar-tailed Godwit next to Marbled Godwits for comparison:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In the field I noticed some grayer feathers coming in on the upper back (incoming winter plumage):

 

 

 

 

And some of the other feathers are quite worn.  If you look closely, you can see that the paler spots on some of the feathers have almost completely worn away, giving some of the feathers a scalloped or jagged appearance:

 

 

 

 

It was a beautiful morning at Point Reyes, and I'm thankful for some time with this interesting bird: 

 

 

 

 

 

 

P.S.  Bar-tailed Godwits are known for their extreme long-distance migrations — e.g., non-stop flights from northern Alaska to Australia/New Zealand, an ~11,000 kilometer (6,835 mile) flight!  They're rare in Northern California.

 

Restless and resting

 

Mixed shorebird flock, primarily Dunlin (Calidris alpina) and Sanderling (Calidris alba), flying over Bodega Harbor on 3 March 2020.

Marbled Godwits (Limosa fedoa) resting in Bodega Harbor at sunset, 3 March 2020.

Blustery Day

Wow, was it windy today (20 April 2019)!  Northwest winds were blowing about 25-30 mph (20-25 knots) with gusts up to 40-45 mph (35-40 knots).  Spring conditions in Blow-dega Bay!

 

When it's "breezy" like this, sometimes birds will find shelter in Bodega Harbor.  Here are a couple of quick photos from when we were leaving work late in the day:

 

A distant flock of Bonaparte's Gulls (Chroicocephalus philadelphia) — mostly adults in breeding plumage — resting on the tidal flats.  We counted about 50 birds in the flock.

 

At least one Surfbird (Calidris virgata) feeding with Marbled Godwits along the mudflats at the north end of the harbor.  

Probing

 

Marbled Godwits (Limosa fedoa) feeding on the tidal flats in Bodega Harbor, 29 December 2018

 

Gold or bronze?

 

Marbled Godwits (Limosa fedoa), Bodega Harbor, 19 February 2018

(Click on the photo for a larger and sharper version.)

Slightly upturned

  

Marbled Godwit (Limosa fedoa) roosting along the shoreline of Bodega Harbor, 11 July 2017

 

Dreamy

 

A dreamy view of Marbled Godwits, 15 August 2015

Pink and orange

Okay, I'll admit it.  When birding on Cape Cod, I would be happy just to see a Marbled Godwit, nevermind try to figure out its age or sex.  But Marbled Godwits are much more common in Bodega Harbor and when you see lots of individuals throughout the year, it's easy to start asking questions about their various plumages and appearances.

I was reviewing some pictures from 7 July 2013 and noticed that some of the Marbled Godwit bills were pink at the base, while others were orange (see image below).  [There are also Willets (with shorter, gray bills) in these images, but ignore them for now.]

 

  

After a brief perusal, I can't seem to find much information about bill color in Marbled Godwits.  The Birds of North America account states that males have a brighter orange base of the bill during the breeding season.  Are the individuals with orange bills males and those with pink bills females?  Can anyone provide some insight?

If it's true that you can use bill color to separate males and females at this time of year, you can try your hand at it with the next picture.  For the godwits with visible bills, how many females (pink bill bases) and males (orange bill bases) do you see?  [You can click on the image to see a larger version.]

 

I would say 4 females and 4 males, i.e., 4 with pink bill bases and 4 with orange bill bases.  In the upper right corner, there are 3 with pink bills and 1 with an orange bill.  In the lower left corner, there is 1 with a pink bill and 3 with orange bills.  

I'm not sure you can use bill color to separate males and females, but it's an interesting question and exercise!  And if bill color isn't an indicator of sex, why does it vary?

 

Mine

Who's going to get the worm?

  
Marbled Godwit in Bodega Harbor (14 January 2012)