Waders & Terns

[Aimee Cokayne]

Me again - please can someone confirm my IDs and help me with the ones I don't know - Thank you

9855 - Is this a Common or Spotted Redshank? How do you tell the difference?
9711 - Common or White-cheeked Tern - How do you differentiate?
9762 - Is this a dunlin?
9425 - don't know
9817 - What is the bird in the foreground?

Mnay thanks

[MarkS]

Having caused controversy on one of your other threads, I'll try and get through these without debate.

1. Common Redshank - they're browner on the back, the bill is thicker and more two-toned. (Winter Spotted are much paler, with a longer, thinner bill that slightly kinks down at the tip if seen well. They're unmistakeable in summer.)

2. They look like Little Terns - they seem to have yellow black-tipped bills, white foreheads and (two) prominent black outer primaries.

8650

3. It's a Little Stint - tiny size, short bill, greyish back, with slight scaly-effect and white forehead and supercilium. Dunlin is bigger, with a longer, curved bill and lacks the white forehead/super.

4.Common sandpiper - note how the white creates a notch on the breast side.

5. Greenshank in front of a ************ (what do you think it is?). Always look very slender with (generally) a greyish head, greenish-grey legs and a thickish, slightly upturned bill.

[Aimee Cokayne]

Black-tailed Godwit? :)

[MarkS]

Try the other one. ;-)

[Aimee Cokayne]

Bar-tailed? Or is it not a godwit at all!

[MarkS]

Yup, Bar-tailed. They have shorter legs than Black-wits, with very little visible above the knee. The upperparts of winter Bar-tails is always "streaky-looking" due to pale feather-edges, Blackies are plain.

[Aimee Cokayne]

Mmm...Do they both have black tails? I can see what you mean about the legs though.

[MarkS]

Black tail? Did you see that in flight or are you looking at the picture? If the latter, the black bits are the primary feathers. I think you can just see a single thin bar on the tail.
8655

[Aimee Cokayne]

Oh Ok - got it - thanks - I can see its the primaries now!