The Lincolnshire Bird Club

a probable juvenile nominate Black-tailed Godwit was with the icelandic Black-tails at Killingholme on the 20th -- this race is rarely recorded in the county and has not been ientified for a number of years according to the reports
http://pewit.blogspot.com/2010/08/possi ... imosa.html

Why is this race so rare? Where does it come from?

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Alastair Carr

Where there is a will, there is a way....

much better photos today

http://pewit.blogspot.com/2010/08/juven ... -tail.html

An interesting article on wintering populations of limosa and islandica appears in the latest BTO Bird Study (vol 57(3):381-9) , available as an abstract at :-
http://www.informaworld.com/smpp/conten ... =titlelink
The Birds of Lincs / S Humb (1989) opined that "most birds occurring in the county probably belong to the race L.l.limosa.."
However, L.l.limosa winters between West Africa and Iberia and is declining rapidly, perhaps why we've seen so few in the county recently. The paper also makes the important discovery that in Iberia 76% of godwits wintering on protected estuary sites are islandica, while the majority of limosa (90%) winter on rice-fields where there is currently no legal protection. Interesting stuff.
Phil

I've never really looked at juvenile Black-tailed Godwits at Gib in respect of race but from end June into July I always scrutinise the adult passage birds and have often had continental birds turning up at the same time as the first islandics. The continental birds always immediately stand out as not only do they have the known plumage differences of a different shade of orange/rufous underparts and distribution of underparts barring but they have longer thinner legs and a very noticably longer bill.They often seem more wary. Not realising their scarcity in the County I have not kept records nor reported them but they are certainly regular at Gib in early summer - I think the most I had at one time was 9. I've often pointed the birds out to birdwatchers in the hides at Gib.
When/if some turn up next year I'll pass the word around.
No colour ringed birds yet.
Not sure about your bird Graham - plumage looks ok but is bill long enough?

it is a bit odd and I am waiting some expert opinions on it --