Black-tailed and Hudsonian godwits, Lake Ellesmere
Posted: Tue Nov 19, 2019 7:23 pm
There was a bumper crop of birds this afternoon in a couple of hours spent at Lake Ellesmere.
Yarr's in particular had a lot of action and huge numbers of birds. Highlights were:
2 black-tailed godwits (first located one associating with stilts and then saw two flying together)
1/2 hudsonian godwits (associating with bar-tailed godwits, then the black-tailed godwits. There may have been a second one and the photo and additional sighting below suggest this may be the case)
42 bar-tailed godwits
1 whimbrel (associating with bar-tailed godwits)
1 marsh sandpiper
1 little tern
3 mute swans
6 banded dotterels
3 wrybill
I then thought Embankment Rd was worth checking out too and it also delivered:
1 hudsonian godwit (not sure if this was the same individual or not, seen ~45 minutes after last seen at Yarr's)
82 bar-tailed godwits
2 curlew sandpipers
5 small unidentified sandpipers (possibly all sharpies, maybe the curlew sandpipers mixed in too, but they were too distant and skittish for firm ID)
1 marsh sandpiper (likely the same one as seen at Yarr's)
31+ red-necked stints
1 little stint
1 pacific golden plover
12 banded dotterel
~40 wrybill
Yarr's in particular had a lot of action and huge numbers of birds. Highlights were:
2 black-tailed godwits (first located one associating with stilts and then saw two flying together)
1/2 hudsonian godwits (associating with bar-tailed godwits, then the black-tailed godwits. There may have been a second one and the photo and additional sighting below suggest this may be the case)
42 bar-tailed godwits
1 whimbrel (associating with bar-tailed godwits)
1 marsh sandpiper
1 little tern
3 mute swans
6 banded dotterels
3 wrybill
I then thought Embankment Rd was worth checking out too and it also delivered:
1 hudsonian godwit (not sure if this was the same individual or not, seen ~45 minutes after last seen at Yarr's)
82 bar-tailed godwits
2 curlew sandpipers
5 small unidentified sandpipers (possibly all sharpies, maybe the curlew sandpipers mixed in too, but they were too distant and skittish for firm ID)
1 marsh sandpiper (likely the same one as seen at Yarr's)
31+ red-necked stints
1 little stint
1 pacific golden plover
12 banded dotterel
~40 wrybill