Bar Tailed Godwit at Holden Wood Reservoir, Lancashire

Barely ever get passage waders in the spring on my patch so it was a nice surprise to see this here. A new addition to my patch list.

www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/wildlife-guides/bird-a...

Key information
The bar-tailed godwit is a long-billed, long-legged wading bird which visits UK shores for the winter. Most usually seen in its grey-brown winter plumage, birds in spring may show their full rich chestnut breeding plumage. In flight it shows a white patch stretching from the rump up the back, narrowing to a point. It breeds in the Arctic of Scandinavia and Siberia and hundreds of thousands of them pass through the UK, on their way further south, or stop off here for the winter.

What they eat:

Mainly shellfish, marine snails and worms and shrimps.

Measurements:

Length:
37-39cm

Wingspan:
70-80cm

Weight:
230-450g

Population:

UK wintering:
41,000 birds

Identifying features:

This bird species has different identifying features depending on sex/age/season.

Similar birds:

The two godwit species that occur in the UK - black-tailed and bar-tailed - can be quite tricky to identify. Though their feathers are constantly changing, birds' body shapes stay the same. Instead of concentrating on what colour a bird is, it's good to look at its other structural features.
Black-tailed godwits have longer legs than the bar-tailed. Sometimes it's hard to see that when they're wading, though! While both godwits have really long bills, the black-tailed's is often longer and a little bit straighter. Bar-tailed godwits' bills are noticeably upcurved.
When in orangey breeding plumage, a black-tailed godwit's belly has black stripes - a bar-tailed's is plain. In its grey-brown, non-breeding plumage, a black-tailed godwit has plain back feathers. At all times of year, a bar-tailed godwit has a streaky back. In breeding plumage, the only bright orangey-red bar-tailed godwits are males. The females are much paler.
If you see a godwit flying, it's easy to identify it. Black-tailed godwits have a bold black and white stripe on each wing, as well as a black and white tail.

Where and when to see them

Largest numbers of bar-tailed godwits occur on large estuaries - the Wash, Thames, Ribble, Dee, Humber, Solway and Forth estuaries, and Lough Foyle for example.

Highest numbers of bar-tailed godwits are seen here between November and February, with numbers starting to build in July and August and falling off in March and April. Small numbers of non-breeding birds can be seen throughout the summer.

Taken in: UK / England / Rossendale District / Helmshore (show map)

Taken on: May 3, 2022

Sets appears in: • Rossendale Wildlife • Nikon P900 Wildlife more » • British Wildlife • Rossendale • Group 1 « less

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Camera: NIKON COOLPIX P900, f/6.5, 1/400 sec, 499.8mm, ISO 400 (more info) (hide info)

Camera:	NIKON COOLPIX P900
Aperture:	f/6.5
Exposure Time:	0.003 sec (1/400)
Focal Length:	499.8mm
ISO:	400
Exposure Bias:	0 EV
Flash:	Off, Did not fire
Exposure Program:	Program AE
Exposure Mode:	Auto
Metering Mode:	Center-weighted average
White Balance:	Auto
Color Space:	sRGB
Software:	Windows Photo Editor 10.0.10011.16384
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