On May 6 Gary Eggins, Simon Clayton and I were waiting for the Settlement Point
Ferry at Port Macquarie, north coast NSW when we observed a pair of Australian
Pied Oystercatchers and a group of shorebirds roosting on a sand spit at the
north-west corner of Pelican Island Nature Reserve. I scanned the group of
waders through my binoculars and was at once taken by the sight of a bird that
was similar to but noticeably smaller than the Bar-tailed Godwits that
constituted the bulk of the roosting flock. I set up my spotting scope to get
a closer view. The most obvious feature, other than the smaller size, was the
colour of the legs. They were black, darker when compared to the Bar-tailed
Godwit legs which were dark grey, although one Godwit's legs did appear to be
darker than the others. Both the tarsus (tarsometatarsus) and the tibia
(tibiotarsus) were noted to be obviously shorter than those of the nearby
Godwits. Unfortunately all birds had their heads tucked under their wings or
back feathers and only the face was visible. A pale supercilium was obvious,
not unlike that of the Godwits. We watched for some minutes hoping that the
bird would move and reveal the bill so that a positive ID could be made. It
didn't co-operate and we had to depart.
I would appreciate any comments on the possible Asian Dowitcher, particularly
from those who have had experience with the species.
Greg Clancy
Ecologist and Birding Guide
Coutts Crossing
NSW
www.birdrangers.com
==============================www.birding-aus.org
birding-aus.blogspot.com
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