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.

 

October crescent

 

 

Crescent moon from Cotati, 18 October 2020

At the surface

 

 

 

Humpback Whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) at the surface just offshore of Bodega Head, 17 October 2020.

Sunset layers

  

 

An interesting sunset tonight (16 October 2020), with layers of light floating above the horizon.  I'm guessing there was some heat distortion, which isn't surprising for such a warm day.  [It was much hotter inland, but it reached at least 76°F (24°C) in Bodega Bay today.]

Octopus as teacher

  

Recently, Paul passed along a movie recommendation.  I was so taken by the movie, that I'm passing along the recommendation to you!

If you haven't seen it yet, or if you'd like to see it again (because it's that good), check out "My Octopus Teacher."  [It's available online via Netflix.]

Feeding together

Another quick shot from the shore of Bodega Harbor (on 14 October 2020) — this time of a mixed flock of shorebirds.  How many different species can you find in the photo below?  [You can click on the image for a larger version.]

 

 

 

I've circled four species of sandpipers below:

 

 

 

From left to right —

In red:  Sanderling (Calidris alba)

In yellow:  Dunlin (Calidris alpina)

In green:  Western Sandpiper (Calidris mauri)

In blue:  Least Sandpiper (Calidris minutilla)

The long and short of it

  

 
American White Pelicans (Pelecanus erythrorhyncos) in Bodega Harbor, 13 October 2020