What do you do with Dowitchers?

Dowitchers? May 2, 2015

As often happens, our walk along the Santa Ana River Trail yesterday was punctuated by, "Those look different -- what do you suppose they are?" A group of brownish shorebirds, generically known to me as "bobbers," were poking around among the rocks. Fortunately, my husband had brought his camera, which is much better than my point-and-shoot for taking ID photos.

Dowitchers? May 2, 2015

At the next group of rocks, there were a bunch more (mostly with their heads tucked in, sleeping). And more, and more! Another flock covered some of the rocks on the far side, east of the spillway. There were so many that they looked like bugs that had just hatched and crawled out on the rocks to sun themselves -- a little creepy.

Dowitchers? May 2, 2015

We clearly were in the midst of a migration. But of what?

Ye olde trusty bird book had a picture that seemed to match, but I'd never heard of a dowitcher (the first syllable rhymes with cow) and certainly couldn't tell you if these were Long-billed or Short-billed, especially because they weren't posed next to each other. I needed more pictures to compare to! Enter the Internet!

I found a site titled "New advances in the field identification of dowitchers," where I found these pictures and a good discussion of how one might differentiate between Long-billed and Short-Billed Dowitchers.

Yorba Regional, May 2, 2015; Photo by RHH

I think we've got a flock of Dowitchers, and I'm willing to guess they're Long-Billed -- the eye seems set lower (more acute angle to the line of the beak) and the beak is straighter than the Short-billed -- but I'm not going to guarantee it. It's just fun to have found a more definite name than "bobber."

Who knows if they'll still be around the next time we're out at the park, or if they're just passing through. Either way... Welcome!