20210928 Long-billed Dowitcher & Bittern Potter Heigham Marshes

 

20210928 Long-billed Dowitcher
Bird roosting for over 1.5hrs with Spotted Redshank and E Teal.
Slightly grubbier grey than SpotReds.
Under-tail coverts barring and short legs noted at this stage.

20210928 Bittern
3 birds about Marsh today, a good show.
Note MKII was focus tracking right hand bird into frame.
Swiftly switching to closer bird would improve overall focusing. 

20210928 Great White Egret
Great day for Herons all round.
Little and Cattle Egret size comparison with Great.

20210928 Long-billed Dowitcher
First signs of movement.
White trailing edge to secondaries and inner primaries, white rump with lower half barred onto tail coverts and tail...
but still no bill.
Much smaller than Black-tailed Godwit and stockier than SpotRed. 

20210928 Long-tailed Dowitcher
Bird finally moved through roost feeding and revealing kinked eye-stripe and pale
supercilium... and bill.
Note short tibia.

20210928 Long-billed Dowitcher
Slightly decurved bill.
Adult winter plumage, upperparts gave impression of Ruff's scaling but in dull greyscale.